NEW DELHI:  Arvind Kejriwal refused to say how many seats his party will win in the Delhi Assembly elections, but said he was hopeful that his party will probably get a majority. “Now I will not give it in writing (about seat predictions).” “There was a time when I used to write on paper that my party is getting this many seats. Now I have started to feel that it was my ego.

The eyes of the whole country are fixed on the New Delhi seat of the national capital, from where former bureaucrat-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal, who was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for honesty, is contesting for the fourth time. Kejriwal, who emerged as an international icon in the country ten years ago, is facing a triangular contest in the white-collar Lutyens area this time. This time he is pitted against the sons of two former chief ministers.
Sandeep Dixit of the Congress and Parvesh Verma of the BJP, both have been members of the Lok Sabha and are experienced politicians with a youthful attitude. Sandeep recounts the legacy of his mother Sheila Dikshit’s three terms on Delhi and her imprint on the capital’s politics. During her 15-year tenure, Sheila Dikshit is credited with transforming Delhi into a “world-class city” despite its complex governance structure. “Whenever people talk of a developed and growing Delhi, Sheila ji’s name is remembered,” said Sandeep Dikshit, son of three-time chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

During her 15-year tenure, Sheila Dikshit is credited with transforming Delhi into a “world-class city” despite its complex governance structure. “She was able to strike a balance between the Centre and the state despite Delhi’s unique situation,” says former Delhi LG Vijay Kapoor. Completing infrastructure projects in Delhi has always been complex as it involved multiple agencies, said former LG Kapoor. “But, Dikshit smartly got the job done. Delhi has a complex governance structure. She worked in harmony within it,” he said. Dikshit’s focus was on infrastructure as one of her key focus areas. The inauguration of Delhi’s first metro line – between Shahdara and Tis Hazari in 2002 – and its further extension transformed the way people commuted in the city.
Asked in a TV show ‘Chunav Manch’ if he was confident of his party getting a majority this time, Kejriwal replied, “One should not be overconfident. One thing I learnt while being in jail is that one should never have ego. Ego has destroyed great emperors and dictators. History is witness to this.”
The former Chief Minister said, “There was a time when I used to write on paper that my party is going to get so many seats. Now I have started feeling that it was my ego. Now I am going in front of the public. I am going with my head bowed. Whatever blessings the public will give me, they will be on my head. But I think that the public is happy with my work and perhaps the public will give us an absolute majority.” Kejriwal said, “It was our ego that even in the Punjab assembly elections I said that we will win 100 seats. Now I will not write it down (about the prediction of seats).”

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