Col Shiv Choudhary
Looking at the odyssey of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its prowess over just ten years, one can easily conclude that it is marching ahead at neck breaking speed. This speed assumes more importance seeing its repeated astounding success in Delhi where the majority of the voters were educated and knew what was good for them against imposing opposition everywhere. With the similar policy, promises, clarity, and unrelenting speed, it has stormed into Punjab with another great victory by demolishing four old parties.
It is making inroads in states like Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, HP and now in the UT of J&K if one is tracking its manoeuvers. It is clear that Arvind Kejriwal has now gone beyond mere public displays of religiosity, and his faith in Hanumanji in his quest for legitimacy across all political shades and colors in India.
What makes AAP click and connect faster than even a quick fix? Is this its pragmatic decision making, feeling the pulse of voters, understanding the nuisance between poll promises and delivery, or futility of hyper divisive politics? These are the issues voters normally ponder over before exercising the voting right. Whatever, sheer confidence of AAP’s leadership and enthusiasm and lure of public joining it is evident beyond doubt.
What is so unique about AAP? AAP spends a lot of time, energy and efforts in researching in rationally reading the pulse of people, acceptability over winbility, slogans, taglines and iconography which appeal to the youth. This won her 20 of the 117 seats in Punjab in 2017 and 67 out of 70 in 2015 in Delhi followed by a thumping majority in Punjab recently. No candidate is chosen with a past baggage. Tagline like Ik Kejriwal ko mauka, Hun nhi khavange dhokha,was a hit while maintaining low pitch of political communication.
Effective health care system through mohalla clinics, reformation in education, door step delivery, and somewhat questionable freebies without fresh taxes are its USP. With its pristine anti- corruption image, AAP portrays itself as embracing a vision of politics that prizes absolute transparency and open participation. It has clearly struck a special chord with public. These factors are catapulting it to a centre stage to the discomfiture of many.
This party en-cashes on the space vacated by other parties in losing sight of commitments, forgotten manifesto, shelved projects, and in the melee of post victory celebrations. The changes felt with the arrival of AAP infectiously touch the hearts and minds of people across board in subtle ways. AAP’s deology of invoking great sons like Bhagat Singh and remembering Dr BR Ambedkar are yelling well everywhere. Two carefully chosen slogans, Inquilab Zindabad and Bharat Mata ki Jai touch conscious of voters.
AAP does not hype nationalism beyond a palpable limit. Disenchantment of youth from often dug out dead issues, personal attacks, family politics, unwanted tinkering, and disillusionment of youth benefit AAP. People can mistake once, twice but surely not thrice. People look for change beyond religiously divisive politics and overhyped nationalism.
It will only be naïve to say that AAP party is not going to dent other politically parties. It will, as it did in Punjab and Delhi. Whatever, its first kill is going to be the oldest political party as its fate obtains today. Seeing fast paced moves of AAP in Goa, UP, Delhi and Punjab and under current in HP and UT of J&K, it is compelling other political parties to rethink and realign election strategies. That is no mean achievement for just a decade old party.
AAP is consolidating in national political power centre. It had trounced BJP in Delhi during peak of Modi wave and congress which held power from 1998 to 2013. All waves including AAP’s have a shelf life with diminishing political returns. The scenes of our UT people joining AAP are an indication of its surging popularity and acceptability. Such gathering do culminate into actual votes too, albeit ‘jo dikhta hei who bikta hei’.
AAP has already made forays into the safe bastion of BJP when it won 27 seats in Surat during the last municipal polls and emerged as the principal opposition party there. AAP also claimed that its policy of ‘perish or perform’ have impelled change of CMs in Uttrakhand and Gujrat and it poses itself as an alternative to two major national parties. To this end, it has promised to contest all the 182 seats in Gujrat in the next assembly elections. With Gujrat election in 2022, Patel Netas are good catch for AAP. Gujrat is a priority state for AAP, however, none should underestimate the disciplined core cadre of BJP anywhere.
In Goa, it has already identified its state convener and CM face in Elvis Gomes. The party failed badly but the victory of two of its candidates and polling 6.71 percent votes in the just concluded Goa polls has given hopes for the future in the coastal state.
Haryana being closer to Delhi is a fertile political field for its growth and geographical contiguity with Punjab. It has established its offices in all 90 assembly seats in Haryana and seems determined to contest elections in all. It is wooing an honest and harassed senior bureaucrat and whistleblower to become its face in Haryana. It is also in constant touch with few veteran Jat leaders to convey its serious expansionist intent. The recent victories in Punjab and Goa have only whipped up the insatiable appetite of the AAP to expand its political footprint. Diminishing congress presence is only smoothening its advance.
AAP needs to get recognized as a regional party in two more states, before entering the elite club of national parties. It has identified Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat which will witness assembly elections towards this year-end while Rajasthan and Haryana are slated to go to the polls in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Delhi assembly polls of 2015 and Punjab in 2022 were politics of strategy and better alternative. The mainstream parties should rethink about their approach and policies. Instead of getting into a blame game about individuals and timing of declaration of chief ministerial candidate, they must peep into their arrogance of promises and actually delivery to the voters. Voters don’t get swayed easily, as such spending huge money on full page advertizing and king size hoardings don’t always bring more votes. Indeed, voters observe use of money, muscle and government machinery closely.
No territory may look invincible for AAP. Its popularity in Delhi is increasing as it had just won four out of five seats in the municipal by polls while the BJP ruling in the three civic bodies for the last fourteen years, did not win even one. The Congress did win manage to win one. Union government has passed a bill for unification of three MCDs which is being protested by AAP. AAP is adding its political influence and maneuvering.
AAP is more focused where congress and BJP are engaged in a straight fight. However, progress of AAP will face different challenges in UT of J&K with diversely divided polity of two regions and a rightly changed exuberant scenario post abrogation of Article 370. AAP is setting its eyes on 82 seats as conveyed by AAP leader in UT of J&K. Ripe time to cautiously watch the march of AAP in its quest for ever- expanding footprints.
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