Why is BJP in a hurry to form a government in Delhi?

If political buzz is to be believed, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to form the government in Delhi. According to the grapevine, six out of eight Congress MLAs are in touch with BJP's top leadership and the final decision may well be taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from the BRICS summit in Brazil. 

While the BJP is still tightlipped about the development and the Congress vehemently denies mutiny in its ranks, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) has expectedly raised the charge of horse-trading. Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has alleged that Rs 20 crore has been offered to each MLA for changing sides. Though it is difficult to assess the veracity of such claims, eyebrows have already been raised about BJP's possible moves. 

Winning 31 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections held in December last year, the BJP had fallen short of the magic number to form the government under Dr Harsh Vardhan. But courtesy AAP's 49-day misadventure and riding on the Modi wave, the saffron outfit successfully swept the Lok Sabha polls. So most experts thought the party would wait for a re-election in the Delhi Assembly and come to power with a thumping majority. But the fact that BJP is now looking to cobble up the numbers exposes some uneasy vibe within the party rank. 

Contrary to Narendra Modi's promise of “acche din”, it has been a bumpy honeymoon for the people of the capital with the Central government. The problem of power shortage has outraged the common citizen while the problem still lingers in some parts of the city. The spiralling inflation has only added to their woes. Also, the Delhi BJP is currently faction-ridden with no clear leader. In this precarious situation, the BJP is probably choosing the safer option of getting aboard a few Congress MLAs to form the government. In all likelihood, the BJP might end up winning if re-elections are held, but anything short of a spectacular performance will be seen as a referendum against the Narendra Modi government.

If the BJP indeed does go on to form the government as speculations suggest, it will not be illegal, but may well be deemed unethical. Earlier, top BJP leaders had categorically said that they would not attempt to form a government in Delhi. Any volte-face in this issue will be hard to explain to the electorate. But many believe that this move fits into the pattern of the Modi government where it brought an ordinance to merely appoint an official.  

Meanwhile, the government has tightened its screws on different state governments by appointing new governors in several states. Senior leader Amit Shah has been appointed as BJP President with an eye on the upcoming polls in Maharashtra, Haryana etc. Delhi was always a low hanging fruit with the BJP needing only four MLAs to form the government. In all likelihood, Amit Shah is completing that formality to concentrate on tougher assignments.