MCD polls results: Not fielding incumbents a Modi ploy to beat anti-incumbency

NEW DELHI: The BJP's huge win in the Delhi civic election has sparked speculation whether it will repeat the strategy of denying tickets to incumbent representatives, a tactic often adopted by Narendra Modi as Gujarat chief minister, in the upcoming state polls.

Its decision of not fielding any sitting councillor in the Delhi civic polls was a lift from Modi's playbook as he had once replaced all councillors in Gujarat and led the BJP to two-thirds majority in municipal elections.

Modi also dropped many sitting MLAs in assembly elections as he led his party to impressive wins poll after poll.

Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi acknowledged the success of this strategy as much with a tweet today.

"Narendra bhai had once replaced all councillors in Gujarat and won 2/3 seats in local elections. Same strategy worked in the MCD," he said in a tweet.

The success of this strategy in Delhi, despite the not very impressive performance of the party-run municipal corporations in the last 10 years, has prompted many leaders to wonder if this formula may be repeated.

Unlike the states BJP won under Modi and its president Amit Shah where it was not in power, the states heading for polls this year and the next include Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. BJP is in power in all these states and will have to contend with the anti-incumbency factor.

Dropping incumbent councillors in Delhi was apparently a tactic to beat anti-incumbency the saffron party might have faced.

It has been in power in Gujarat for close to two decades and will complete 15 years in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.