But politics in Goa has no place for those who cannot deal with its bleakness. The starting point for all new political parties, especially those like AAP, is the political bleakness that stares at us in Goa, with despondency as the over-riding force. It is negotiating the journey from bleakness to brightness and the ability to resurrect the State from the morass it is in, that will make the efforts AAP is putting in to position itself as the alternate singular opposition, worth it.
But there is one ground that all diehard sceptics of the Aam Aadmi Party will have to concede. This is the party, which – in the social media driven times we live in – is politically trending. It has managed to get itself to a position where it is picking up its fair share of naysayers and a gradually filing its cupboard of haters. And if success is defined by the numbers who do not like you, AAP had surely made inroads into the political opposition space as an important player.
AAP’s presence is gradually getting more visible, albeit due to the arrival of Arvind Kejriwal, to address a rally which will either confirm the above premise or negate it seriously. The mini army of volunteers who have managed to knock on doors and have one-to-one interactions with people is significant. And unlike any other opposition party, including the Congress, it has actually identified 40 men and women in each constituency who will be the face of the party in the run up to the elections.
However, this may be a good beginning, but this is just the very first step and AAP readily accepts this. However it faces a Himalayan challenge given both the social and political complexities of Goa to complete the journey and get electoral success, because that is what it is looking for. It is in the business to win the next election and that is completely acceptable. And this is where the challenge lies. It needs to quickly see if the faces of the party in the constituencies are strong enough to be fielded as candidates. Its next step would be to zoom in on one face who will lead the campaign and to be honest, it doesn’t quite have one now. Even cosmopolitan Delhi which voted for change needed a change agent in Kejriwal. But Kejriwal is from North India and he understands and speaks the language of the people across all states in that belt. The social complexities of Goa, coupled with the baggage of not welcoming ‘outsiders’, especially outsider politicians, can be offset only with a Konkani speaking new face who is recognized and commands some respect. More importantly, he has to be universally accepted across Goa and not be seen as a North or South centric leader.
Currently AAP seems to be building its organisation and getting its booths and blocks sorted. There can be no debate over the manner in which it is progressing but any debate on the possibility of AAP leapfrogging from the interesting challenger to the most important challenger, has to center around who will lead it.
Meanwhile, as it sets its house in order and grows in strength, the social trolling will throw some questions that might seem irritating and petty but they need to be dealt with in Goa. For instance, the fact that their main leaders are not locals and therefore are they equipped to feel the pulse of Goa’s needs? Or how can Hindi speaking people understand the needs of those who speak Konkani and thirdly, and this might seem very unfair – outsiders have taken over our land and water and now do they want to even govern us. These may be uncharitable but in the muck of election politics, AAP must respond either by word or by deed. But to get to the deed stage, it needs to change a lot of mind sets. Remember other local and national parties will use a mudslinging and a whisper campaign against AAP in a vicious manner. It needs a strong local leadership to take this on.
But as always, the true barometer of political success is how the common man responds to you. That is why the first rally of the Delhi Chief Minister will be very closely watched by everyone in Goa. Who knows, the winds of change may be visible at the Campal grounds on this fateful Sunday, or the take away could even be – well done AAP but you are not yet good enough. In any case, this is a space surely worth watching.
