Though the British who moved the Capital of India in 1911 had not intended it to be so, after freedom in 1947, Delhi became a refugee city. Full of Punjabis who had left their home and hearth and ran away for their lives and settled in Delhi for new beginnings, Delhi soon became a refugee city. Angry at their displacement, these refugees were mainly for the Jana Sangh and the city became a stronghold of the party.
For many years, the Jana Sangh, which later became the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reflected the core values of these people and alternated in power with the Congress Party.
That is until Arvind Kejriwal arrived on the political scene around 2011 and upset the apple cart.
Kejriwal introduced a political philosophy, focusing on policies to better the lives of the underprivileged. He established institutions such as mohalla clinics and promoted free education for the poor. Although Punjabi refugees constituted most of Delhi’s population post-1947, the city saw a significant influx of migrants from Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar in the following years. Drawn by the large investments made in Delhi, they sought better opportunities. Kejriwal’s various schemes resonated with them, and they became some of his most loyal supporters. Despite hailing from Haryana, Kejriwal’s appeal transcended regional boundaries.
However, in the most recent elections, Kejriwal’s political fortunes took a hit. Kejriwal was in jail last year along with two of his senior colleagues and this affected his chances in the last elections because he could not prepare properly. He suffered defeat in the polls from the New Delhi seat by a BJP candidate who is the son of former Union cabinet minister Saheb Singh Varma.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) got 22 seats while the BJP secured 48. The Congress Party failed to win a single seat but played a pivotal role in the outcome by fielding multiple candidates who, while not victorious, siphoned votes away from AAP, ultimately benefiting the BJP. Rahul Gandhi was aware of these dynamics and was naturally angry with Kejriwal and AAP for destroying the chances of the Congress in Gujarat and other states like Haryana. The BJP was overjoyed since for the first time in over 20 years, it regained power in Delhi. Delhi, being a Union Territory, shares power with the central government, which retains control over law and order.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who went overseas after the results, waited for ten days before deciding on the new Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, a first-time MLA who hails from Haryana but grew up in Delhi. She studied at Daulatram College in Delhi University but was a student union leader. She was the president of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) in the late 1990s.
By choosing a woman, PM Modi, with one masterstroke, decimated her male competitors who nursed ambitions of being the Chief Minister. The woman card is being increasingly used by the PM to create a dedicated vote bank that may serve him in the next elections. Rekha Gupta will have the support of all the bigwigs in the BJP to do development work in the city. The last Chief Minister Atishi Marlena of AAP missed all this.
BJP’s Harish Khorana, who is the son of former Chief Minister Madan Lal Khorana, has suggested that the government may want to develop a waterfront along the Yamuna River, similar to the Sabarmati waterfront in Ahmedabad. Analysts believe that Rekha Gupta may play a key role in helping PM Modi implement his plans for Delhi. While the specifics of these plans remain unclear, it is widely held that Rekha will assist him in transforming Delhi into a first-class, fashionable city that will enhance the pride of its residents, the Dilliwalas.
Rekha Gupta announced just yesterday that she planned to clean the Yamuna River, aiming to make boat rides possible on it within three years. Currently, the river in Delhi is dry, and enabling boating would require diverting water into the Yamuna within the city. An interesting chapter is waiting to unfold.
Kingshuk Nag is a senior journalist who worked for TOI for 25 years in many cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore & Hyderabad. Known for his for fire brand journalism, he is also a biographer of Narendra Modi (The NaMo Story) and many others.
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