City
Epaper

People to watch out for: Kejriwal new avatar may dent oppn gameplan

By IANS | Updated: January 5, 2020 10:00 IST

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of the the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has reinvigorated the campaign for Delhi Assembly polls with a discernible shift from theatrics to hardcore politics on development issues.

Open in App

The shift begun with the AAP slowly and steadily avoiding making contentious statements on protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and strategically focusing on developmental challenges faced by the national capital.

Initially, one of its MLAs had gone on record expressing discontent over the law at a public meeting in the protest-hit Jamia area in South Delhi.

Primarily, Kejriwal has prioritised education, women safety, lighting up dark spots, concentre houses for slum dwellers, garbage and pollution the issues that directly affect the common people.

With people-friendly measures, like subsidising public utilities such as power and water and increasing the disposable income with every household, Kejriwal has donned a new hat of a development-oriented leader.

Kejriwal is also using constructive criticism to dent the opposition armoury. He has stopped levelling sensational charges against opponents and started seeking their suggestions to make Delhi better.

Kejriwal's donning of new political image could be the outcome of his one-to-ones with people at townhall meetings. After closed-door interactions at auditoriums where he addressed queries of people, Kejriwal has turned to townhall meetings.

It has made him appear as an accessible leader who doesn't shy away from taking tough questions from people.

With the gamut of people-friendly initiatives and better accessibility, Kejriwal is emerging as a rare political blend, which the capital has not seen for some time. However, he is yet to pass the anti-incumbency test. He may also fall prey to complacency, leaving space for opponents to flourish.

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have termed Kejriwal's claims a "bundle of lies".

Would he flounder or secure an easy win is a question that Delhi will answer soon.

(Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@.in)

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: kejriwaldelhiaapcongress
Open in App

Related Stories

NationalMcDonald's, KFC May Soon Open At Major Stations Like Mumbai, Delhi, and Ahmedabad

NationalDelhi Red Fort Car Blast: Amir Rashid Ali Placed Under 10-Day NIA Custody by Court

MumbaiBandra Fort Party Controversy: Viral Video Sparks Political Row as Sena UBT, Congress Question Alcohol Event at Heritage Site; CM Fadnavis Reacts (Watch)

EntertainmentShehnaaz Gill Reacts to Delhi Red Fort Car Blast: “Praying for Peace and Strength to Everyone Affected”

NationalDelhi: Loud Explosion Heard Near Radisson Hotel in Mahipalpur, Nothing Suspicious Found

National Realted Stories

NationalDelhi Police arrest five proclaimed offenders wanted in many cases

NationalChennai to open voter help centres in 947 booths to assist with SIR forms

NationalDelhi blast: ED searches places linked to Al Falah University, trustees

NationalIMD warns of heavy rain in eight TN districts today

NationalSchool Holiday in Tamil Nadu on November 18, 2025: Schools and Colleges Shut in These Districts