Federally ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently lost the local elections to its arch-rival Aam Admi Party (AAP) in Delhi.
While the AAP dethroned the BJP from the municipal corporation (MCD) in the December polls by winning 134 of the total 250 seats, the latter still put up a respectable show by securing 104 seats despite 15 years of incumbency.
After the BJP lost the elections, it announced three-time councilor Rekha Gupta as its mayoral candidate against AAP’s Shelly Oberoi. Kamal Bagri of the BJP will contest for the deputy mayor post against Aale Mohammad Iqbal of AAP.
In an interview with Sputnik, Gupta talked about the issues she would take up if elected.
Sputnik: You will be contesting for the mayor's post against the AAP candidate. If you become mayor, what issues will you take up as a priority?
Gupta: Our main motive will be to solve the problems of the people of Delhi. The basic issues that concern them will be the priority. We will be focusing on making Delhi clean, green, dust free, pollution-free and garbage-free.
People should feel that they are in the national capital and for this, we will be speeding up the cleanliness drive in the city so that there is no garbage littered here and there. Our focus will also be on maintaining the parks so that Delhiites can use them in a better way with families.
Apart from this, we will try to simplify the whole system as well as the process. People have to deal with the MCD on day to day basis and during BJP’s tenure in the corporation we introduced digitalization so that people could reach out in much easier way.
Digitalization helped residents of Delhi to procure trade licenses, birth or death certificates, deposit house tax etc. in an easy and hassle-free manner.
Along with this, we will bring in a system to make it easier for the people to file any complaint. So, we will continue to work on the same lines and make the process more streamlined.
Sputnik: Do you think that it will be easy for you to work as mayor when the majority of the councilors are from AAP?
Gupta: I don’t think that there will be any problem. Every councilor wants the development of his or her ward. They have contested the elections and people have given their votes to them for this only.
If elected as a mayor, I will extend my support to each councilor. I will ensure that every councilor’s demand for their respective ward is addressed and equal distribution of funds is there.
Therefore, when the target of everyone is the same that we have to make “Better Delhi” so why will there be a conflict with any councilor?
Sputnik: BJP had earlier denied contesting the mayor and deputy mayor election but now it is contesting it. Why the backtrack?
Gupta: The BJP had never said that it will not contest the mayor and deputy mayor election. It is a democratic process and we respect the mandate given by the people. Also if you see, people of Delhi have not outrightly rejected the BJP. We won 104 seats.
So, now if we wouldn’t have contested for the mayor and deputy mayor post it would have been unfair with the people of Delhi.
Sputnik: BJP lost to AAP in the MCD elections. Where do you think BJP failed to capitalize during the polls?
Gupta: I don’t think that BJP failed to capitalize during MCD polls. Results may have not gone in our favor but if you see we received 39 percent of votes while AAP got 42 percent so there is not much difference.
In many of the wards, our candidates lost by very small margins and since MCD elections are local elections this small margin makes the difference.
In local body polls, the contest is not only between two or three major parties rather a lot of independent candidates also contest the polls due to which votes get divided.
I would say that people of Delhi were satisfied with the BJP’s tenure in MCD. The vote share of BJP is the testimony of the work done by it in the MCD.
Sputnik: What kind of support will you seek from Delhi state chief and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal?
Gupta: We have to understand one thing that the functioning of the local body in any state or city will improve only when all the three pillars – federal government, state government and local governing body – work hand in hand.
Now, the Delhi government and Arvind Kejriwal will have to understand that if they will not support the local body, the system will collapse. Today, the MCD is responsible for the sanitation of the whole city and if the government will not give the funds then how will sanitation happen. This will make life of Delhiites miserable.
If Arvind Kejriwal seeks help from the federal government for Delhi, he should ensure help to the MCD. We all have to work collectively and honestly to make Delhi a better place.