It’s “now or never” for the AAP in next month’s Delhi Assembly polls. With the BJP riding high on its impressive mandate in the 2104 Lok Sabha elections and a feeble Congress as its key rivals, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party faces a tough test ahead, as it tries to convince people about its seriousness on governance.
After Kejriwal quit as Delhi Chief Minister after 49 days of rule in February 2014, the party faced a lot of flak from the public and its key rival, the BJP, for being a bhagoda (deserter). The AAP failed to win any Delhi seat in the Lok Sabha polls.
Kejriwal, known for holding a dharna when he was CM, has also been termed an “anarchist” by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who continues to be the BJP’s poll mascot in Delhi.
In December 2013, the AAP had beat all poll projections to make a stunning debut, winning 28 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.
After the BJP, which won 35 seats, declined to form the government, the AAP took support from the Congress. However, after 49 days, Kejriwal quit the government over the non-passage of the Lokpal Bill, leading to President’s rule.
Dissent in partyKejriwal, who had once fired people’s imagination by challenging the deeply entrenched politics-crony capitalist nexus, also had to face dissent within his party.
Some key founding members of the AAP, such as Shazia Ilmi and Madhu Bhaduri, have since left the party, citing disenchantment and a feeling of “not being heard.”
The stakes in the 2015 Delhi elections, therefore, are high for both Kejriwal and the AAP.
For the AAP, which has already finalised most of its candidates, the challenge now is to win back its middle-class support, especially with Modi at the helm in the Centre.
Many of the AAP’s disenchanted middle-class voters had openly expressed their support for Modi in the Lok Sabha polls.
However, what may work in the AAP’s favour is the fact that many tall promises made by Modi, especially with regard to controlling prices in 100 days, are yet to be delivered.
Also, the BJP has no rallying face in Delhi yet, forcing it to bank on Modi. To top it all, in his recent Ramlila Maidan address, Modi himself made it a straight battle by turning the heat only on AAP.
The AAP, meanwhile, is cashing in on its 49-day rule, when it brought down power and water bills and clamped down on corruption, for which it still draws support from the lower strata.
Says Ghanshyam, who runs a roadside kiosk, “Kejriwal has publicly apologised for quitting. I feel he should be given one more chance.”