New Delhi: With three weeks to go for the Delhi Assembly polls, ruling Congress and opposition BJP are locked in a keen electoral tussle in the capital where the Grand Old Party is hoping for a historic hat-trick amidst fears that Mayawati-led BSP may cut into its votes.
All eyes will be on BSP, which is contesting 70 seats in the November 29 elections, after the party improved its tally in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi from two to 17 last year and with an increased vote share.
The decision of the UPA allies Samajwadi Party, Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal to field candidates in several seats in the capital has also given some heartburn to the Congress which is fighting anti-incumbency.
It is widely believed that BSP, which won an impressive 17 seats in last year s MCD election and is now contesting all 70 Assembly seats, will hamper Congress prospects in many constituencies, eventually helping BJP to wrest the seats.
BJP leaders believe that if BSP could poll over 2,500 votes in a constituency, it could act to its advantage. Senior leader Arun Jaitley, addressing a meeting of BJP candidates, acknowledged this and said "if there is a spoiler in place for your opponent, that would work for your advantage."
The saffron party is also banking on the votes polled in favour of UPA allies like SP, LJP and RJD. SP is contesting 33 seats, LJP over 40 and RJD five.
However, Congress leaders dismiss these as "high hopes" and claim that BSP is not going to make "much impact" as its Dalit votebank is intact as the Mayawati-led party could not make a dent in it in the MCD elections.
