Delhi debacle tells a tale of Kejriwal’s fall
The wide chasm between the AAP leader’s promises and his record in government cost the party the elections
This incident dates back to 2013, when Arvind Kejriwal came 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. I liked the idea. He was with us and our colleagues at the Hindustan Times Building a few days later.
Those were the days in Kejriwal’s public journey when he wasn’t a political leader but an activist. Since then, he has come a long way. In his close to 12-year-long rule, his old colleagues have either left him or have been sidelined. Those who addressed him by his first name, Arvind, during his struggle, are now referring to him as Sir or Sir ji. Despite this transformation, his party won the Delhi assembly elections thrice and was successful in securing political victory in Punjab and forming the government. During the last assembly elections in Gujarat, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was able to win just five seats. But, the newly formed party secured the tag of a national party by winning close to 13% of votes.
This is why the defeat in Delhi gives rise to a plethora of interpretations. His volte-face and shifting statements became ugly stains on his original image. He promised he wouldn’t encumber himself by accepting mandatory security cover or live in a mansion, or succumb to other VIP trappings. However, his supporters were stunned to see the exact opposite in practice. He would also accuse anyone of corruption and ask for that person’s resignation. When it was his turn to resign after being arrested and jailed in the excise case, he flatly refused to relinquish his post. His decision dealt a mortal blow to his image. The decline didn’t stop here. People were shocked to learn about the opulence of his official residence and the allegations of misconduct against the chief secretary of the Delhi government and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Swati Maliwal. People kept thinking, was this the “alternative politics” for which he was elected?
Kejriwal’s other promises proved to be hollow slogans. He told Delhi residents that “their son” will help them 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 elections. But action on the ground was missing. The Capital’s deteriorating roads, polluted drinking water, and dysfunctional street lights destroyed whatever little hope people had in him.
Delhi’s people gave their verdict against the wide chasm between promises and performance.
Kejriwal tried other tricks in the trade to win the Delhi elections. He denied tickets to 20 of his sitting Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and fielded ‘imports’ from the other parties, but most of them tasted defeat in the electoral battle. The AAP offered 43 tickets to its sitting MLAs, and of these 28 were defeated. Along with Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and many other party heavyweights have been defeated. Their “arrogance” and “betrayal” is now the talk of the town in political circles.
It is clear that the AAP will face an existential struggle from here on. People are raising doubts about the stability of the Punjab government. Before the final results came in, the Congress claimed that 30 AAP MLAs in Punjab, including the chief minister, were in touch with the party to switch sides.
Till now, the AAP wasn’t a political party but a group driven by an individual’s whims and fancies. Will it be able to make necessary adjustments and changes? Does it have the moral capital left to resurrect its image? Not only the Congress but also the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be quick to exploit its weaknesses. There are chances that in the coming weeks, the working committee of the AAP may face fresh legal challenges.
Election data suggests the party secured 53.6% votes in the last assembly elections; this time, its share of votes has come down to 43.55%.
Now, let’s talk about the BJP. Since their sub-par performance in the 2024 general elections, the saffron party has undergone an intense self-assessment. The successes in the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections are a result of their improved and reworked strategy. It was repeated in Delhi too. It blunted and then blasted the freebie strategy employed by the AAP.
Before making the attempt to come to power for fourth time in Delhi by making it a Kejriwal vs Modi contest, he should have put his rusty party apparatus and administration in order. But he failed. The assembly election in Delhi has once again proved the durability and reliability of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image and Amit Shah’s organisational genius.
It’s important to discuss the Congress also. The oldest political party has increased its vote share from 4.26% in 2020 to 6.36% this time, but it has once again 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, yet the regional parties will need its support to secure victory. Elections in Jharkhand are a case in point. Still, the Delhi results do not augur well for the Congress.
The results have raised a question mark on the survival of the INDIA bloc. Before the counting began on Saturday morning, 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 on a deeper issue. Kejriwal once gained prominence as a crusader against the filth that characterises today’s politics. Why and how did he become a part of it? 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. The views expressed are personal
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