NEW DELHI: After winning UP, Uttarakhand elections and the recently-held panchayat polls, the BJP looks determined to continue its winning spree in the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls. But, the abrupt decision to field new faces to overcome the poor track record of some councillors has left many heavyweights and good performers disgruntled.
The Sunday Standard talked to many MCD leaders to get their inside views on the party decision. While many senior leaders welcomed the decision of party chief Amit Shah, a majority did not hesitate to raise their voices of discontent and anger as to how the party rewarded them in lieu of loyalty.
“Is this the way to reward for loyalty? I did everything for my area with the hope that the party would give me a chance again. Suddenly, I have been told that I would not get a ticket. What would I do now? Where would I go?” reacted a north MCD councillor, requesting anonymity.
A sitting councillor from east MCD said there are many other ways to win elections. “We have no issue with new candidates as they should also get a chance. But, sidelining those who have devoted their lives for their respective areas and the party is not justice. This can’t be part of the strategy to win polls,” he said.
Many councillors said that they have started looking for options, such as joining other parties or contesting independently. The general angst among the sitting councillors was quite evident in the monthly meeting of the party workers on Thursday, in which most of the councillors did not turn up.
On the other side, heavyweights in the state unit welcomed the decision saying it’s the party’s decision and should be followed. Subhash Arya, Leader of the House, South MCD said, “The party has given me chance for the last 35 years, whatever it thinks as the policy for the MCD polls is fine. The decision of getting new faces should accepted”.
Countering Arya’s view, a south MCD leader said, “It is true that we have to follow the party’s decision. But, you don’t know what senior leaders are actually thinking. In fact, they have no option but to accept the party’s diktat.”
According to state unit leaders, the poor report cards of most sitting councillors and the failure of civic bodies in implementing Modi government’s flagship programme Swachch Bharat in Delhi are some of the reasons behind BJP’s idea of projecting all new faces to contest the MCD polls. The party believes that by projecting new faces it will be able to counter the two-term anti-incumbency. Highly placed sources within the Delhi BJP unit said that even the internal survey has referred to the anti-incumbency factor against most councillors.
According to the survey, there are 90 municipal seats in which performance of the councillors were not up to the mark. “People as well as party workers were not satisfied with the performance of many councillors. Keeping in view their report cards, the party had decided to give chance to new candidates,” said a senior party leader.
While the survey raised questions on the performances of councillors in general, it also revealed that many of them performed well and can be banked upon. It was found that 25 councillors performed well in their areas.
The party is chalking out plans to accommodate these people as their anger might cost the party in the MCD polls. But, many MCD leaders are skeptical.
“How many can be accommodated in the small unit of Delhi state? We are 153 in three MCDs, all sitting councillors. How many of them can be given a place in the party? This is only a false promise,” maintained a north MCD councillor.