(Image source from: Can Arvind Kejriwal fulfill his bijli-paani promises?})

Finally Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) bit the bullet on Monday by allying with nemesis party Congress and agreeing to take over the reins of the national capital. But the big question is, has the new Chief Minister of Delhi bitten more than he can chew (read his bijli-pani promises)?

The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) tall claims to retrench power tariffs by 50 per cent, supply 700 litres of free water a day to every family, legalize the Jan Lokpal Bill and regularize illegal colonies in Delhi have skyrocketted all expectations. And going by the tremendous pressure exerted by BJP and Congress at this moment to fulfill all his promises at the earliest, the journey is going to be anything but easy.

Slashing down power tariff has always been the biggest highlight of AAP's manifesto. From the beginning, Kejriwal has maintained that he will half the power tariff within four months of coming to power. Even now, the new CM is committed to slashing the power tariff regardless of the consequences, and that the government would step in to handle power distribution in Delhi if the need arises. However, the road ahead isn't bump-free.

Officials at the power department claim that it is impossible to do so without a hefty subsidy, estimated around Rs 3,200 crore per annum.

"How can you reduce power tariff in four months? The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission sets the tariff. One can challenge it in court, but that will take time," says a senior power department official.

“The faultline lies between Kejriwal's resolve and the situation on the ground in a city where the trifurcated municipal corporation is decidedly BJP and the Central government is led by the Congress,” writes Mail Today Bureau.

Making things all the more difficult is AAP's new ally Congress which has shown it is not going to be an easy partnership between the two.

On Monday, former chief minister of Delhi and Congress veteran leader Sheila Dikshit ominously underlined the sentiment, expressing that Congress support to Kejriwal and AAP is purely "performance-based" and "not unconditional".

Image Source: Daily Mail

AW: Suchorita Dutta Choudhury