Harshvardhan, the BJP's candidate for Chandni Chowk is greeted enthusiastically at Gujranwala Park in Model Town by early morning walkers.

This despite his late entry in a new constituency which has had Congress candidate Kapil Sibal — who has been campaigning vigorously for six months now — win by a sound margin in the past two elections. What seems to be working for him is that except for the 15 per cent Muslim vote, which is keeping everyone guessing, most of the cross section of people here — traders and their wives and children — are betting on the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to deliver their aspirations of a resurgent India.

Feeble competition Harshvardhan admits the response is “extraordinary and overwhelming” and says Modi has become a “symbol of the aspirations of the people”.

A 60-year-old man in the manufacturing trade, sitting on a park bench, explains his choice. “Congress is a no-no. Price rise, corruption and scams and Manmohan Singh as a weak PM are entrenched in public memory. The AAP cannot ensure a strong and stable government the way Modi can,” he says. A young entrepreneur and a housewife echo this dissatisfaction with the AAP. The party made tall claims but were ineffective in combating corruption, they point out.

Moving on to Shalimar Park and then Roshanara Club — the biggest club in North Delhi — on to the Dalit dominated area of Inderlok, Anand Parbat, offers a similar refrain for the BJP.

Several businessmen are also engaged in motivating people to come out and vote for the first time in their lives. Satiram Yadav, who is said to have grown a ₹1,000-crore business from selling aloo tikkis on the streets, says his outlet BTW will offer a 40 per cent discount on April 10 and 11 to those who have voted. While the anti-incumbency mood is discernible, the anti-AAP flavour appears equally strong.

The AAP non-factor This is rather surprisingly, considering the party’s recent performance in the Assembly election. Says Harshvardhan: “Arvind Kejriwal has been exposed nationally for his lies, his abuse of everyone — the Constitution, the Indian Republic, media, judiciary, legislature, his foreign funding, his compromise with the Congress, and the fact that he failed to deliver in his 49 days of power as Chief Minister of Delhi. The AAP candidate in Chandni Chowk, Ashutosh, has similarly been talking rubbish. He is also not appreciated by the Muslim community for constantly linking Muslims with terrorism in his TV debates as an anchor before joining the Party.”

A secular professional Harshvardhan believes the Muslims will rally around the BJP in the region because of the party’s track record in Gujarat, and also because of his personal image as a secular, moderate professional who believes in karma without bothering about personal gain.

A priest told Business Line he is voting for Modi and not the BJP since he is a man with gravitas unlike Kejriwal, who is a jhootha , and Sibal, who never visits his constituency.

Harshvardhan's candidature does, however, raise one complexity: If the NDA come into power, will he choose to be a Cabinet minister or revert to Delhi politics as a BJP CM when fresh Assembly elections are held? “Why waste my vote on him for an MP seat if he is going to revert to local politics in six months?” a bystander asks. This could well be Harshvardhan's present problem of plenty.

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