Delhi’s very own AAP

 There are as many factors that worked for the Aam Admi Party in the Delhi assembly election 2020, where it could virtually sweep the polls by winning a landslide 62 out of 70 seats while the BJP managed to win 8 when results were declared on February 11. The worst loser of the Delhi polls was the Congress whichdrew a blank despite having ruled Delhi for three consecutive terms under late Shiela Dikshit in 1998-2003,2003-08 and 2008-13. Delhi under Shiela Dikshit became the most modern metropolis in the country when she brought far reaching development in the realms of mass transport system with the country’s second ultra-modern metro train system; ultra-modern city buses, regular power and delivery of potable water to the homes etc. The AAP had come to power in its maiden electoral contest in 2013 when its core members, who were with the Anna Hazare movement formed the party to exploit the anti-incumbency against the UPA-II under Dr. Manmohan Singh. In the 2013 Delhi assembly election, the AAP despite being the second largest party with 28 seats to the BJP’s 31 seats could grab power through an opportunistic alliance with the Congress (which won only eight of the 70 contested). In 2015, the AAP battered all records when it swept Delhi like a Tsunami, winning 67 seats and the BJP managing only three. The Congress suffered the worst humiliation when it drew a blank. The Congress was to pitifully and embarrassingly suffer the same indignity in the 2020 assembly polls when it drew its second successive blank. To the victor belongs all the spoils, says an old idiom and the AAP has rightly won the accolades of everybody and also a grudging admission by its rivals. Many have attributed many things for the remarkable victory of the AAP especially against the BJP which utilised its campaign goliaths such as Modi, Shah, Nadda, CMs of some BJP-ruled states, union ministers, MPs etc. This is in addition to the awesome financial resources of BJP which is the world’s largest political organisation. The AAP was the first to kick-start the campaign by playing on its achievements in Delhi for which it huge amount of government money through advertisements. The BJP responded by doing what it knows best- fight dirty and spew venomous hate speeches against those opposed to it, threaten them with ‘goli’ , denigrate rivals and divide people along religious lines. In between, Modi would appear to in acting his role as the giant star to captivate voters with his oratorical skills. Why AAP won is also because it did not respond to the BJP’s hate politics. This is because Kejriwal was also wooing the Hindu votes.He avoided any open support for anti-CAA protests nor ever mentioned Shaheen Bagh or JNU and also said nothing against Modi. By all accounts, Modi has met his match in Kejriwal. Modi’s style contrasts sharply with Kejriwal. While Modi depends on his knockout punch to bring down his opponent, Kejriwal dances like a butterfly and stings like a bee. The AAP victory more than anything else is Delhi-centric and it will be a tall order to replicate it beyond Haryana and Punjab It is realisation that has made AAP focus only on Delhi and not become too ambitious lest it fall to the wayside like it did in the 2014 elections.