NEW DELHI (PTI): As Delhi elected its legislative assembly earlier this month, there are clear indications that the Rightist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will form the government, reports the Economic Times.
Not because there is any strong Hindutva wave, but on account of a strong centrist factor and deep-rooted resentment among the Sikh and Muslim voters of the capital against the principal poll managers of the Congress I in the outer and cast Delhi parliamentary constituencies. Also, the Jat community of rural Delhi has not relented in favor of biggest party of the country.
By crosschecking the views of voters with accepted sociopolitical and ethnic variables of poll surveys, it is a safe guess to say that the BJP will secure between m36 and 40 seats; The Congress1 between 20 and 25: and the Janata Dal (JD) between five to seven. One or two independents may also scrap through by sheer good luck in even contests among the four major contenders.
While the Sikh voters have long been asking for punishment for the top brass of the state Congress I for their alleged role in 1984 riots that followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Muslims, both the common man and the cleric, are out to defeat the BYP.
The Other Backward Caste (OBC) factor was so much in evidence till a few days ago. Even chief minister of East Indian state of Bihar Laloo Prasad Yaday’s three visits to the capital has not polarized the votes on the OBC issue.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 19, 1993
