Delhi polls: BJP's reluctance to name a CM candidate may not work

NEW DELHI: BJP's "Chalo chalein Modi ke saath" experiment might have worked in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand, but Delhi could have a different story to tell.

BJP's reluctance to name a clear chief ministerial candidate to take on activist-politician Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi might not work in its favour. Political observers feel that the experiment worked in states like Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana as BJP had an incumbent government to discredit and it was riding high on Modi wave.

Sanjay Kumar, director at Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), says, "By not projecting a chief ministerial candidate, BJP might be in a better position organisationally. It would not have to battle open rebellion like it did when it projected Harsh Vardhan. But the electorate needs a face. Kejriwal versus who?"

Kumar feels the way Modi was able to use Congress' reluctance in projecting a prime ministerial candidate in 2014 parliamentary elections to his advantage, Kejriwal could do the same with BJP in Delhi.

Sociologist Shiv Vishvanathan attributes this to Delhi's electoral politics. "Delhi is different. It's a city. Its not a state. The way it votes is different. In other states BJP was banking on Modi as a leader. It sold well with the masses. In other states there were no strong leaders. There were chief ministers who could be discredited. Where Delhi could be different is that the Opposition has a clear leader in AAP's Arvind Kejriwal."

Though BJP is trying to make it a Modi vs Kejriwal fight, AAP is doing its best not to take on Modi. AAP wants BJP to project a chief ministerial candidate so that it can convert Delhi polls into a clash of personalities.

According to surveys conducted by CSDS, there is just a 4% vote percentage gap between BJP and AAP with the former having a slight edge. A recent ET-TNS survey showed that while voters want to see a BJP government, Kejriwal is the most popular choice for Delhi chief minister. It is this dichotomy that BJP needs to address.