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Stage set for three-cornered contest in MCD polls

New Delhi, Mar 18 (UNI) The stage is set for a three-cornered contest in the polls for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi with the ruling Congress and the Opposition Bhartiya Janta Party having to contend with a third front comprising the NCP, Left parties and the Jan Morcha.

Along with the Congress and the BJP, the Left parties, along with the NCP, Jan Morcha and the Janata Dal (Secular) have formed an "anti-Congress" and the "anti-BJP" secular front on the issue of price rise, increasing power tariff and sealing and demolition.

The BJP's poll campaign will focus on the sealing and demolition issues and corruption in the MCD. At the same time, it also plans to highlight issues like price rise of essentials and increase in power and water tariff during the electioneering.

On the other hand, the Congress, buoyant after the notification of the much-awaited Delhi Master Plan 2021 and the regularisation of nearly 1500 unauthorised colonies, would use these as its main poll planks.

The Congress has been claiming that the notification of the MPD 2021 and the regularisation of unauthorised colonies would bring considerable relief to the people of Delhi and would negate the impact, if any, of the BJP using the demolition and sealing issues in its campaign.

The Congress also plans to focus on developmental issues in its campaign.

The BJP, fresh from the successes in the Uttarakhand and the Punjab Assembly elections, feels that the "pro-BJP" wave in the Northern belt would translate into its win in the MCD polls, which in turn would be followed by its triumph in the polls for the Delhi Legislative Assembly scheduled next year.

On the other hand, the Congress claims that the outcome of the Uttarakhand and Punjab Assembly polls would have no bearing on the result of the MCD polls.

While Congress is going it alone in the polls, the BJP has entered into a seat sharing arrangement with the Akali Dal (Badal), which is contesting on ten seats.

Political observers, however, say BJP's failure to enter into an alliance with the Shiv Sena, which is going it alone in the municipal polls, could make a dent into its vote share.

Also likely to affect BJP fortunes is the fact that former Delhi Chief Minister and former party leader Madan Lal Khurana is also contesting on 189 seats under the banner of Bhartiya Jan Shakti.

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