Hat-trick for Congress or comeback for BJP? Delhi voters to decide today

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New Delhi: were also traded at each other on a number of local issues like regularisation of unauthorised colonies, sealing and demolitions, BRT corridor, demand for statehood for Delhi and privatisation of power distribution.

Besides these, the encounter at Jamia Nagar in south Delhi, in which two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists were killed, gave Congress’ four-month-old ally Samajwadi Party an opportunity to virtually paint the ruling party in an anti-minority light.

The election season in the capital began with intense lobbying for party nominations, which turned almost violent with supporters of some aspirants heckling BJP Delhi chief Harsh Vardhan and damaging the car of his Congress counterpart Jai Prakash Aggarwal.

Both Congress and BJP burnt midnight oil to finalise their list while BSP went ahead with changing candidates several times after jumping the bandwagon in early April. BJP fielded all its 19 sitting MLAs while Congress dropped three of its 47 legislators from the fray. BJP chose “energetic” Saket MLA Vijay Jolly to take on Dikshit in New Delhi constituency while Congress preferred a lightweight Jitender Kochar, former leader of House of MCD, to fight Malhotra in Greater Kailash seat.

Though there were no surprises in the candidates list, Congress fielded a retired IPS officer Amod Kanth from Sangam Vihar to cash in on migrant voters. While BJP did not chose any councillors despite their keenness to fight the elections, Congress gave a chance to about half-a-dozen corporators to test waters.

The intense campaigning was marked by hundreds of election rallies, street meetings and door-to-door canvasing by over 800 candidates for 70-member assembly.