Delhi 2023: Liquor 'scam' dominates politics as AAP, BJP trade barbs on graft case

New Delhi: Fresh from winning the MCD polls, the AAP suffered a major setback two months later in February this year as Delhi's then deputy chief minister and senior party leader Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in connection with the excise policy case.

Delhi's ruling party suffered another setback in October, when its Rajya Sabha MP and one of its most vocal leaders, Sanjay Singh, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy case.

The BJP redoubled its efforts in 2023 to corner the AAP especially on the issue of corruption and “poor” infrastructure in the city. The Delhi Congress, under its new chief Arvinder Singh Lovely, sought to revive itself in the national capital in the lead-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the assembly elections in 2025.

Even as the AAP battles allegations of corruption against its leaders, the party has maintained that it was facing a witch hunt by investigative agencies at the behest of the BJP-led Centre, owing to AAP’s rising popularity across the country.

The year was not just gloomy for Delhi’s ruling party as it was recognised by the Election Commission as a national party based on its electoral performance in four states – Delhi, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat.

The party has been alleging that the threat of arrest looms large over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as he has already been summoned twice by the ED in connection with the excise policy-linked money laundering case.

He has so far skipped the summons calling them illegal but he has been summoned again for appearance on January 3.

The party is running the 'Main Bhi Kejriwal' campaign across 70 assembly constituencies to gain public feedback on whether Kejriwal should continue as chief minister or resign, if he is arrested.

The party has also started working to strengthen itself at the organisational level and has appointed new office-bearers as it gears up for 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

It will also have to soon chalk out a plan to negotiate seat-sharing with the Congress for the 2024 polls as both are allies in the INDIA alliance. Sources in the AAP have already ruled out a possibility of alliance with the grand old party in Punjab where the AAP is in power.

In March this year, Delhi BJP got its full-time president in Virendra Sachdeva, the first party leader from a Punjabi background in the last 13 years to hold the post. Sachdeva, 55, had held the charge of working president of Delhi BJP when previous unit chief Adesh Gupta resigned following the party's defeat in MCD polls last year.

The BJP, smarting over its defeat in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls in December last year, redoubled its efforts in 2023 to target the AAP, especially on the issue of corruption and the city’s infrastructure.

The campaigns and protests of Delhi BJP under its new president Sachdeva paid off as then deputy CM and excise minister of the Delhi government Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in March in connection with the alleged liquor scam.

"We have been more aggressive this year about exposing corruption and scams of the ruling AAP whether it is the liquor scam or irregularities in Delhi Jal Board. Earlier we used to be reactive now we are proactive in our attack on the AAP," Sachdeva said.

He said the BJP also paid attention to implementing national programmes of the party like creating awareness about the Narendra Modi government's achievements and galvanising grassroots workers from the top to bottom.

A major challenge before the Delhi BJP is now repeating its winning streak of previous two Lok Sabha polls and regaining all seven seats in the national capital amid the possibility of an alliance between the Congress and AAP.

Sachdeva exuded confidence that the BJP will win back all its Lok Sabha seats with bigger margins in elections next year.

"Our task is to further increase the victory margin this time. The organisational work for this is already underway and we have reached out to booth levels and prepared to meet any challenge," he said.

Congress’ Delhi unit saw a change of guard in 2023 as former Delhi minister Arvinder Singh Lovely took over as the party’s Delhi unit president on August 31.

Lovely was first elected as an MLA in 1998 from Gandhi Nagar. He is considered to be a loyalist of former chief minister Sheila Dikshit. He has also worked as a minister in the transport, education, urban development and revenue departments in the national capital.

He is also a former president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC). Lovely has also been fielded against BJP’s Gautam Gambhir and AAP’s Atishi from the East Delhi constituency 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

With Lovely taking over DPCC, Delhi Congress was also revamped by making organisational changes and appointing observers to all 14 districts in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The observers have been working at the ground level to strengthen the party leadership at the district level.