February 8 turned out to be the doomsday for AAP and especially for the party bigwigs like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Saurabh Bhardwaj all of whom faced humiliating defeats.
Such results are only seen in a political waterloo. Giant killers galore ruled the roost on Saturday.
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And the corridors of power are agog with rumours on the fate of Arvind Kejriwal following the massive tremor following the public mandate.
It may be recalled that before the Delhi polls, Kejriwal, whose party rose from strength to strength in Delhi for the first time in 2013 on an anti-corruption plank, was facing corruption charges! And Kejriwal had spent six months in jail in 2024 in connection with an alleged excise policy scam.
The minimum jail term in the money laundering case is seven years if convicted and if Kejriwal had won from the New Delhi seat and later found guilty, he would have been disqualified under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Now, to make things worse for him, not only will he be treated like a commoner and face the legal wrangles, to further compound his trouble, an FIR has been lodged against him in Kurukshetra few days back over his remarks on the alleged “poisoning” of the Yamuna river water by the Haryana government.
THE PUNJAB FACTOR
Also, the loss has been so massive for AAP which will certainly have a ripple effect in Punjab.
The AAP’s humiliating defeat will put Punjab and its Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in the spotlight and the AAP will find it difficult to keep its flock intact and the AAP is already wary of the situation and that is why AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal is set to meet Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, State ministers, and party MLAs in Delhi on Tuesday.
The meeting comes in the wake of AAP’s rout in the Delhi Assembly elections and growing speculation about internal dissent in the party’s Punjab unit.
However, AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang downplayed the reports of dissent, and termed Tuesday’s meeting a “routine strategy session”.
“A party is a continuous process. Feedback from all units are taken to shape its future strategies. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann along with AAP MLAs will meet Arvind Kejriwal to discuss the way forward,” he said.
It may be recalled that AAP has big-ticket projects in Punjab like free power and mohalla clinics. And since Kejriwal’s popularity in Delhi had created a similar effect in Punjab, the electorate had voted for the AAP in Punjab in the 2022 Assembly elections and it is very obvious that the Delhi verdict would have an impact on Punjab.
According to party sources, the discussions will focus on analysing the Delhi election results and strategising for the Punjab polls scheduled in 2027.
AAP secured a landslide victory in Punjab in 2022, winning 92 of the 117 seats. However, recent developments have led to questions about internal cohesion, with some suggesting that the party’s leadership in Delhi continues to exert significant influence over Punjab’s governance.
There are also speculations that Kejriwal could consider a more direct role in Punjab politics now.
With Ludhiana’s assembly seat currently vacant, political observers are also discussing the possibility of Kejriwal contesting from there and becoming a part of the Punjab government and thereby seeking political immunity.
Punjab being the only State where the AAP is in power now, the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting could be crucial for the party’s future course of action.
CONGRESS’S DUCKS
Political analysts are saying that after the defeat and decimation of Congress yet again to zero will spell doom for the future of the India Bloc.
Also, an editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ raised questions over the need for opposition alliances if their constituents continue to fight against each other instead of the BJP. The BJP swept Delhi by winning 48 of the 70 seats in the just-concluded Delhi Assembly polls. The AAP secured only 22 seats.
For AAP’s boss Kejriwal, the Delhi Assembly election was not just a political but a personal battle. This is the first time Kejriwal has lost the elections from New Delhi after his first win against the then Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit of the Congress in 2013.
Kejriwal and AAP since its inception has always gone from strength to strength and in 2022 it may be noticed that the party was capable of winning in another State taking its tally to two and among other regional parties, the AAP stood tallest as it had also acquired the status of a national party on terms of its vote share.
Following the Congress’s hat-trick of zeroes, the Saamna editorial goes on to say, “In Delhi, both AAP and Congress fought to destroy each other, making things easier for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. If this continues, why even form alliances? Just fight to your heart’s content!” the editorial in ‘Saamana’ quipped. A similar disunity among opposition parties already led to setbacks in Maharashtra (during the 2024 assembly polls which the BJP-led coalition won), it said.
The AAP’s status post results have also dented and mauled Brand Kejriwal who used to harp on “clean politics” especially after he was caught in allegations regarding his “Sheesh Mahal” controversy.
‘AAM AADMI’ MATTERS
Finally, it was the ‘aam aadmi’, or the public, that brought the AAP to power in Delhi thrice. But the same voters also led to its defeat as the party deviated from what it promised to be. Kejriwal said he won’t take up a house or a big car, but moved from a Wagon R to an MG Gloster and spent nearly Rs 35 crore to renovate the house that he occupied as chief minister.
So, political parties should not take the public for a ride.
(Writer is senior journalist and former senior associate editor, O Heraldo, Goa)
