Ajay Maken fails to charm Delhi -Governance Now

Ajay Maken fails to charm Delhi

Maken takes moral responsibility and quits after the rout of the Congress in the Delhi civic polls

GN Bureau | April 26, 2017

#MCD elections 2017 #Delhi #Congress #Ajay Maken #Delhi polls

The dismal performance of the Congress in the Municipal Corporations of Delhi elections forced party chief Ajay Maken to announce his resignation, ending an energetic effort to revive the party in the national capital.

Ajay Maken, now 53, had taken over as the chief of Delhi Congress in 2015 after the party suffered a humiliating defeat in the assembly polls, failing to even bag one seat. Two years later, there has been no change in the situation, with the Congress coming in a poor third in the civic elections.

The Congress had taken a beating in the December 2013 assembly polls in which it had won in only eight seats.

Maken took the moral responsibility for the defeat and resigned from his post on Wednesday afternoon, even though the final results were yet to come in.

Before the civic elections, Governance Now had caught up with Maken who had expressed confidence of a Congress victory.

He had said that the main focus “will be on rectifying the system and making MCDs self-reliant. They cannot meet the expectations of people until and unless they can generate their own funds. It is very important for the MCDs to be out of debt and be self-sufficient. Secondly, massive corruption has taken place under the nose of BJP in last 10 years; we will order a probe into these cases if voted to power”.

Maken, who is a former union minister, had then said that their “competition is only with BJP, not AAP. We are not under any pressure; AAP has lost its ground in Delhi in the last two years. Their intention in Delhi was not to govern and have failed miserably. They have already lost the plot in civic polls”.

He had strongly criticised the Aam Aadmi Party and said that the “fact that they capitalised AAP's victory to spread their political wings across the country left Delhiites in a lurch. As a result, we have an absentee chief minister in Arvind Kejriwal who shows no interest in governing Delhi. His political ambitions are too high and have overshadowed his interest in governing the capital”.

With Maken putting in his papers, the Congress is now staring at a bleak future.

Comments

Other News

Budget 2025: Meeting the expectations of youth and middle class

The new year brings with it a mix of hope and expectations, especially among the youth and middle class who have placed their trust in the Narendra Modi government. The upcoming Union Budget is being eagerly awaited by these two groups in particular, in the hope it addresses the very real concerns of a gen

This book on Gujaratis is like a sumptuous ‘thaali’…

The Gujaratis: A Portrait of a Community By Salil Tripathi Aleph Books, 744 pages, Rs 1,499 “As the l

At Davos, Maharashtra inks MoUs worth Rs 15.70 lakh crore

The Maharashtra government has signed 54 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs. 15.70 lakh crore at the ongoing WOrld Economic Forum in Davos. The highest ever investment proposals of the state government are expected to generate 15.95 lakh jobs. The largest MoU was inked with Relianc

How Renewable Energy revolution is sweeping across India

As India accelerates its transition towards a sustainable future, its renewable energy (RE) sector has witnessed unprecedented growth. In 2024, the country made significant strides in solar and wind energy installations, policy advancements, and infrastructural improvements, setting the stage for ambitious

Celebrating ten years of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

The ministry of women and child development is set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign, marking a decade of relentless efforts to protect, educate, and empower the girl child in India. This milestone aligns with the vision of a Viksit Bharat 2047 and the global

Bhashini provides translation support at this great congregation of languages

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MietY) has offered technological support at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj being held from January 13 to February 26, 2025 with the integration of Bhashini for multilingual accessibility. ‘Digital Lost & Found Solution&rs