After 2016 sweep, what led to BJP's poor performance in Chandigarh civic body elections

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 29

In the previous MC elections which were held in the backdrop of demonetisation, the city BJP had given its best ever performance winning 20 out of 22 seats it contested. But five years down the line, it has just managed to win 12 seats out of a total of 35. It seems there are not a few, but numerous factors behind its poor performance in the MC elections despite a star-studded campaign full of resources.

There was anti-incumbency against the BJP which it failed to read. A hike in water tariff and sewerage cess coupled with the mismanagement of door-to-door waste collection system and ‘smart’ parking lots had angered residents.

Failure to redress the problems relating to the Dadu Majra dump as well as the processing plant had become a major issue in the elections. The city getting the 66th Swachhta ranking just before the elections proved the last nail in the BJP’s coffin.

The Congress raked up the issue of cow cess and Covid cess, terming it as an additional burden on the residents. Some senior party leaders and councillors were overconfident about the party win even as the tide was going against them. The party chief had made a tall claim of winning all 35 seats.

At the time of mayoral poll, it was not the BJP vs the Opposition, but the BJP vs the BJP. The party councillors and senior leaders kept fighting with each other. Some party leaders even blamed “wrong” distribution of ticket. Its rebel candidates also hit the vote bank.

After the merger of 13 villages into the MC, delimitation of wards was carried out. After delimitation, some of the sitting councillors’ stronghold sectors got divided. A triangular contest and the BJP fighting elections without its earlier ally, SAD, was another factor behind the saffron party’s poor show.

Public wanted a third alternative

Many believe residents of the city were looking for a change. Old issues remained unresolved, but the allegations and counter allegations between the BJP and the Congress, which ruled the city for 25 years, made the public look for a third alternative. In some areas such as colonies, AAP’s promise of free 20,000 litre of water, parking, door-to-door garbage collection besides removal of the waste dump seemed to have clicked. In some areas, people got mobilised in favour of AAP which had supported the farmer protest on Delhi borders.

Non-MC issues

• Price rise
• Failure to implement Employees Housing Scheme
• Need-based changes in the Chandigarh Housing Board houses
• Leasehold to freehold property

‘AAP misled people’

AAP misled people with promises of freebies. It did so only to gain entry in the MC, but was itself surprised to have won 14 seats. We lost by a thin margin on many seats. Security of AAP and Cong candidates got forfeited, but not of anyone from the BJP. — Arun Sood, city BJP chief