Modi's ruling party looks to topple corruption crusader in Delhi poll with graft allegations

NEW DELHI (AP) — The resurgent Hindu nationalist party of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is eyeing a state legislature election in Delhi where it is looking to unseat the governing movement which has led the Indian capital for over a decade but has recently been embroiled in graft allegations.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which failed to secure a majority of its own in last year's national election but formed the government with coalition partners, has gained some lost ground by winning two state elections in northern Haryana and western Maharashtra states. It is up against the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, that runs Delhi and has built a huge support base on the back of its popular welfare policies.

Delhi, a city of more than 20 million people, is a federal territory which Modi’s party has not been able to win for over 27 years, despite having a sizeable support base in the capital.

The polls open on Wednesday, with results due on Saturday.

Both Modi and Kejriwal have offered to revamp government schools, free health services and electricity, and a monthly stipend of over 2,000 rupees ($25) to poor women.

Modi's party, in particular, is hoping to better its tally from the previous election after last week's budget that slashed income tax on the salaried middle class, one of its key vote block.

Kejriwal’s party won 62 out of 70 seats in the last election, held in 2020.

“Publicity wise, the BJP seems ahead of the AAP because it has more significant resources,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political analyst, who added that it will be difficult for the BJP to dislodge the AAP because of its popularity among voters.

India’s main opposition Congress party is also in the Delhi race, but many poll experts believe it has run a lackluster campaign and is expected to fare poorly.

Claiming himself to be an anti-corruption crusader, Kejriwal is Delhi’s former top elected official and a fierce critic of Modi. He formed the AAP in 2012 after tapping into public anger against the then Congress party government over a series of corruption scandals. His pro-poor policies have focused on fixing state-run schools and providing cheap electricity, free health care and bus transport for women.

Raids, arrests, and corruption investigations

Kejriwal was, however, arrested last year along with two key leaders of his party ahead of national elections on charges of receiving bribes from a liquor distributor. The accusations have been consistently denied as part of an alleged political conspiracy. The Supreme Court allowed the release of Kejriwal and other ministers on bail.

Kejriwal later relinquished the chief minister’s post to his most senior party leader, Atishi, and said he would submit himself to the court of public opinion.

Opposition parties widely condemned Kejriwal’s arrest, accusing the Modi's government of misusing federal investigation agencies to harass and weaken political opponents, and pointed to several raids, arrests, and corruption investigations of key opposition figures in the months before the national election.

Past voting pattern in the capital shows the distinction voter have made between national and state legislature elections. Since Modi came to power in 2014, his party has often dominated both polls. But in Delhi people have voted differently — for the AAP in state election and the BJP in national polls.

During election campaigning, Modi’s party reminded voters of graft allegations against Kejriwal, hoping the incumbent party’s corruption allegations will outweigh its popular welfare programs.

Allegations ‘are false’

The BJP was voted out of power in Delhi in 1998 by the Congress party, which ran the government for 15 years. In the 2015 elections, AAP won a landslide victory by capturing 67 of 70 seats.

Kejriwal's AAP has focused on economic development issues, like health care and education in poll rallies. He has avoided talking about the corruption allegations against him, instead asking voters to reward the party for its track record of delivering better services.

“I am not here for Aam Aadmi Party. I am here for the progress of Delhi. I am here for the progress of your families, and to provide a future for your children," Kejriwal told a recent campaign rally.

For some supporters of Kejriwal, the campaign has struck a chord. “All the allegations (against Kejriwal) are false. Whenever a true leader contests elections, he has to face such struggles. He is with us and he is like our brother," said Pooja Lamba, a Delhi homemaker.

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Associated Press video journalists Shonal Ganguly and Piyush Nagpal contributed to this report.