7 reasons why Kejriwal-led AAP is still a threat to Modi-led BJP in Delhi

With the declaration of the poll schedule in Delhi on Monday, the political scenario in the national capital is surely going to heat up. The election will take place on February 7 while the counting of votes for the 70-member Delhi Assembly will take place on February 10. It is being touted as a direct contest between the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and PM Narendra Modi-led BJP.

The BJP is taking the challenge posed by Kejriwal seriously this time. In 2013, the BJP had underestimated the debutant AAP and consequently, failed to form the government despite being the single largest party in the state.

Here are seven reasons why AAP is still a threat for Modi in Delhi:
1. The AAP is going with a face in the elections. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief ministerial candidate of the party, is still considered to be a ‘change agent’ by people. In 2013, the BJP at the last moment projected Harsh Vardhan as party’s CM candidate while no one has been projected this time. The BJP is also looking for a credible face to take on Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency. It is going to be a daunting task.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP president Amit Shah and Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay at Ramlila Ground rally. Photo: PTI.Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP president Amit Shah and Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay at Ramlila Ground rally. Photo: PTI.2. The AAP looks to be more planned and prepared for the Delhi polls. The party has already declared its candidates for all 70 Assembly seats. After the Lok Sabha snub, the party had skipped the Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly elections and decided to concentrate on strengthening its base in the national capital. The party machinery is looking well-oiled and all leaders are speaking in one voice at the moment.

The BJP, on the other hand, had contested all the Assembly polls and is now trying to focus on Delhi. The party is still in a dilemma over the selection of candidates. 5 reasons BJP shouldn’t try to form government in Delhi

3. The BJP cannot take the AAP lightly even after its spectacular victory in the Delhi Lok Sabha polls. The party had won all the 7 Lok Sabha seats in May, 2014 but the AAP was the runner-up in all these seats. The AAP has successfully turned the Delhi contest as the bipolar contest. The BJP had registered victories in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand and made significant gains in Jammu and Kashmir due to multi-cornered contests. The political scene in Delhi, however, is different with the AAP propelling itself to be a real challenger.

4. Even after facing the public ire over the AAP government’s resignation in just 49 days, the party was able to increase its vote share in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP had secured around 33 per cent vote share in the Assembly polls which increased to 46 per cent in the Lok Sabha polls. The AAP’s vote share also increased to 33 per cent from 29 per cent in the Assembly polls. Exclusive: Modi-led BJP has most number of MLAs in the country

Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal with party leaders Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Bidlan and others.Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal with party leaders Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Bidlan and others.5. The jhuggi-jhopri clusters of the city are likely to back the Arvind Kejriwal-led party even in the upcoming Assembly elections. The AAP is still popular among the youth voters. It had had won 28 seats in the 2013 Assembly polls and came second on 19 other seats. It had lost Karawal Nagar, Sultanpur Majra, Tri Nagar, Janakpuri, Bijwasan, Rajinder Nagar, RK Puram and Kalkaji constituencies with less than 4,000 votes.

6. Both Kejriwal and Modi have a few things in common. Both are masters in delivering high-pitched speeches and connect well with their audience. Both are fantastic orators and can mobilise people with their speeches. Both have been talking about corruption and the common man. They are very hard working and have a clean image as far as corruption is concerned. The similarities between the two can give the jitters to the BJP. The voters have voted for Modi and there is a possibility that they may now want to vote for Kejriwal.

7. The AAP is also giving sleepless nights to the BJP on the social media platforms. Like PM Modi, Arvind Kejriwal is also very active on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites. The social media cells of both the parties are working overtime to establish their supremacy against each other in the digital space. The AAP is also likely to make a dent into the BJP’s vote share of young voters through this.