Opinion
A verdict against the mismatch in words and deeds
Summary
- AAP offered 43 tickets to sitting MLAs. But 28 were defeated. Kejriwal himself, his deputy Manish Sisodia and many other party heavyweights were defeated. It’s clear that now AAP will face an existential struggle.
In 2013, Arvind Kejriwal had come to the Dainik Hindustan office and told a senior colleague that the newspaper’s coverage of the Lokpal Movement, which was of “critical importance", was lukewarm. He expressed a desire to interact with our editorial staff and hold elaborate consultations on Lokpal, corruption, and the right to information. Those were the days in Kejriwal’s public journey when he was an activist. He has come a long way since.
His party won Delhi assembly elections thrice and formed the government in Punjab. At the last assembly elections in Gujarat, though AAP was able to win just five seats, it managed to get the tag of a national party by cornering close to 13% of votes.
Against this backdrop, AAP’s defeat in Delhi gives rise to interpretations. Kejriwal’s volte-face has stuck to him like ugly stains. He had promised he wouldn’t encumber himself by accepting mandatory security cover, or other VIP trappings. However, his supporters saw him do the exact opposite.
Also read | Why Modi’s BJP has raced ahead of Kejriwal’s AAP in the battle for Delhi
He would also accuse anyone of corruption and ask for that person’s resignation. But when it was his turn to resign following arrest and jail in the “liquor scam", he flatly refused. People were shocked again by the opulence of his official residence and the allegations of misconduct against the chief secretary and then MP Swati Maliwal. People kept thinking: Was this the “alternative politics" for which he was elected?
Kejriwal’s other promises, too, proved to be hollow. He told Delhi residents that “their son" will ensure they can bathe in a clean Yamuna by 2025. The Yamuna is still one of the world’s most polluted rivers. Similarly, he made many promises before winning the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s elections. But the capital’s deteriorating roads, polluted drinking water, and dysfunctional street lights destroyed whatever little faith people had in him. The Delhi verdict is against the chasm between promise and performance.
Kejriwal tried other tricks in the trade to win the Delhi elections. He denied tickets to 19 of his sitting MLAs and fielded “imports" from other parties but most tasted defeat.
AAP offered 43 tickets to sitting MLAs. But 28 were defeated. Kejriwal himself, his deputy Manish Sisodia and many other party heavyweights were defeated. It’s clear that now AAP will face an existential struggle. People are raising doubts about the stability of the Punjab government. Before the final results came in, the Congress Party claimed that 30 MLAs, including the chief minister, were in touch with the party to switch sides.
Also read | The battle for Delhi: It is Kejriwal’s suvidha vs Modi’s vikas
Till now AAP wasn’t a political party but a group driven by an individual’s whims and fancies. Will it be able to make the necessary adjustments and changes? Do they have the moral capital left to resurrect their image? Election data suggests AAP secured 55.57% votes in the last assembly elections; this time it has come down to 43.55%.
Now let’s talk about the BJP. Since its sub-par performance in the 2024 general elections, the party has undergone intense self-assessment. Brilliant successes in Haryana and Maharashtra are a result of their improved and reworked strategy. It was repeated in Delhi, too. It blunted the freebie strategy employed by AAP.
Kejriwal kept challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But before making the “fourth attempt"" to retain power in Delhi by making it a “Kejriwal vs Modi" contest, he should have put his rusty party apparatus and administration in order. The assembly election in Delhi has again proved the durability and reliability of Prime Minister Modi’s image and Amit Shah’s organizational genius.
It’s important to discuss the Congress Party. The oldest political party increased its vote share from 4.26% in 2020 to 6.36% this time but failed to win even a single seat. The defeat, however, has brought home the point that Congress may not be able to win elections in many states on its own.
Also read | Nitish Kumar does it again: INDIA bloc must re-pitch itself
The results have raised a question mark on the survival of the INDIA bloc. In the morning before the counting began Omar Abdullah’s tweet set political tongues wagging. Posting a meme, Omar, tweeted “aur lado" (keep fighting). The assembly results also make it amply clear that the opposition will have to come together to deal with the BJP.
In the end, let’s ponder a deeper issue. Kejriwal once gained prominence as a crusader against the filth that characterizes today’s politics. Why and how did he become part of that same filth? Kejriwal will have to explain.
If he wants salvation from the political quagmire he has landed in, this is the only road left for him.
Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.
