Delhi's power politics

Call it the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) effect, but power bills in Delhi appear to have begun conforming to the party's election manifesto even before Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet were sworn in. Many residents in South Delhi saw a substantial reduction in their power bills in the past two months, with average bills for a small household dropping from Rs 800 a month a few months ago to Rs 500 a month in the last billing cycle. But the latest bill that arrived last Tuesday saw the amount dropping to Rs 350 a month. Of course, this includes the subsidy the Delhi government doles out for consumption below 200 units a month plus the onset of winter, which lowers power consumption. But a local electrician who visits nearly 10 homes a day says the power discoms were under pressure from the Sheila Dikshit administration to keep bills low before the elections. What has amazed many consumers, however, is that the latest bill came after the election results.