With the assembly polls in the capital a few months away and its three top leaders – Kejriwal, former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and former health minister Satyendar Jain – in jail, the beleaguered party faces the challenge of both running the govt for the full term and preparing for a crucial state election.
Kejriwal’s arrest in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy a week after announcement of the Lok Sabha poll schedule forced the party to launch a campaign with the slogan, “Jail ka jawab vote se”, to generate a sympathy wave. The Delhi CM’s personal appeal on these lines, however, failed to move the voters enough.
Political scientist and former JNU professor Neera Chandhoke said the charges of corruption against Kejriwal and his senior party colleagues have badly dented AAP’s image. “Also, Kejriwal has failed to strengthen AAP’s organisational structure and it has largely remained a one-leader party,” she said.
Lok Sabha Elections
Assembly Elections
Questioning AAP’s alliance with Congress, she added: “I am not sure if the alliance actually worked on the ground and Congress and AAP workers voted for each other’s candidates in their respective constituencies.”
With its vulnerabilities exposed, the party faces the huge challenge of keeping its flock together. The threat can come from both BJP and a resurgent Congress. Senior functionaries of both parties have claimed in private that many legislators and municipal councillors of Kejriwal’s party are willing to jump ship.
If Kejriwal doesn’t step down from CM’s post despite being in jail, governance will suffer besides the Centre getting an opportunity to impose Central rule if it feels there would be dividends. Whether a replacement — be it Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita, or someone else — can be effective is a hypothetical question at this time.
AAP’s Delhi state convener, Gopal Rai, said they fought this election in most adverse circumstances. “AAP gave a tough fight to BJP in Delhi with its rock-solid unity. BJP’s margin is going to reduce on a big scale,” he said.
Meanwhile, AAP has called for PM Narendra Modi’s resignation, asserting that the LS election results reflected a clear mandate against BJP’s politics of “hatred and dictatorship”.
“People have voted to save Baba Saheb’s Constitution. They have voted to save the reservation system in the country, which is for the Dalits, deprived, exploited, backward and tribal,” Singh said
