Delhi, India’s capital province, will start casting ballots on February 5th in local elections with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) contesting to overthrow one of his main rivals.
Delhi, a sprawling conurbation with more than 30 million residents, has been under the leadership of personable AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal for the majority of the last ten years.
Kejriwal gained popularity as an anti-corruption rebel ten years ago, and his reputation has made him one of Modi’s most formidable adversaries.
His reputation has been severely eroded by the capital’s millions of poorer residents who receive intensive water and electricity subsidies.
Before being released on bail by the Supreme Court, he allegedly spent several months in jail last year on charges that his group allegedly demanded payments from other party leaders in trade for liquor licenses.
In the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s election, the BJP frequently brought up the allegations of corruption. Modi himself led some rallies.