Editor’s Note: The Delhi elections are a few days away, and it seems to have boiled down to it being a contest between the BJP and AAP (rather, Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal) with the Congress out of the fray. In this article, Anica Mann Kapur -- a resident of Delhi who is currently a student at the University of Oxford -- outlines twenty reasons why voting for AAP is the better decision.
1. Arvind Kejriwal has more political experience than Kiran Bedi considering he has been Chief Minister of Delhi (and his government did manage to push through important measures in the 49 days it was in power. These range from halving electricity bills for those consuming less than 400 units and battling the water mafia to starting a corruption helpline and enabling government schools to improve infrastructure).
2. AAP has a clear agenda and targeted goals to be tackled unlike any political party so far. Kejriwal’s compendium and thought has been shown in his book Swar?j.
3. AAP is educationally sound, and experienced in handling democratic systems constitutionally. All their candidates have very impressive resumés, and are experience with governance and political intent.
4. AAP has changed the discourse from caste-and religion-based politics to transparency and accountability.
5. AAP has no qualms about raising their voice against injustice and join their supporters in all protests which are legitimate, not giving the political set-up any room to rest.
6. AAP has declared a list of its donors making his campaign completely transparent, an evidence of its honesty and sensibility towards potential attack
7. AAP does not believe in nepotism, the cancer of the Indian political system
8. AAP believes in true democracy and holds elections within the party for candidate selection.
9. AAP refuses corporate donations and in cash donations which may tie its hands in future dealings.
10. AAP prepares individual manifestos for individual constituencies, to deal with each problem effectively and specifically.
11. AAP has a large scale grassroot outreach program, and its mohalla sabha is one that combs through the city’s problems.
12. AAP is true to the cause, and does not shift allegiances at it’s convenient.
13. AAP does not need people to attest for its work, AAP’s work speaks for itself.
14. Kejriwal is a man with humour, even though at his own expense and not afraid to answer questions with tangible solutions to deal with a problem.
15. Kejriwal is true to his word as displayed by his resignation from the post of CM, something he had has promised at an interview with Barkha Dutt on NDTV if the Lok Pal Bill wasn’t passed. AAP has also learnt from its experience the sentiments of the people of Delhi not by survey and polls but by engaging with the people.
16. Kejriwal is the true representation of the common man, and would be the ideal candidate to address the issues of a city like Delhi where problems brim at all levels.
17. Kejriwal has experience with the mid level bureaucracy, and will remove the root of corruption which exists and hides at that very level.
18. AAP will provide innovative and indigenous solutions to problems specific to Delhi without resorting to generic slogan shouting, like transforming redundant old DTC busses as homeless shelters.
19. AAP has no interest in the VIP culture and its perks, which makes Kejriwal a viable candidate and a hard worker.
20. AAP will tackle complacency at the centre. A loss by BJP in Delhi will hasten the process of reforms and change. Delhi's population is just 1.4% of India and a defeat of BJP will not cost the country at all. However, it is a good laboratory to check and push positive governance.