Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
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Performance in state assembly elections, 2017
The road outside 6 Flagstaff House was set for a big party -balloons hung from the trees outside Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, a large screen displayed the assembly results, and peppy Punjabi tunes blared. But as AAP began to struggle, the music faded. So did the crowd.
Finishing a distant second with 20 seats, behind Congress, the party was stunned into silence.
As the results sink in, the task of contesting Delhi's civic elections looks hard.The party's bid to expand its profile and claim a leading role in national politics has taken a hit. It must now look to protect its home turf. Observers, however, say AAP needn't tread warily on the national stage. Political commentator Shiv Vishwanathan said 20-plus seats was respectable but the party needed a longterm vision. Columnist Santosh Desai, too, does not see AAP as a regional party.“Its birth came out of a national agenda.AAP has not been about Delhi or restricted by geography ,“ he said.
The party , however, is being circumspect. The only statement Kejriwal made was on Twitter: “We accept the people's verdict. All karyakartas worked really hard. Our struggle will continue.“ Senior AAP member Sanjay Singh, who was actively involved in the Punjab election campaign, told TOI the result was unexpected. “Every survey showed AAP was winning. We will have to analyse what happened finally ,“ he said.
AAP's Punjab campaign started early and, some observers believe, peaked too soon. Its challenge lies in countering the impression that it was the beneficiary of a “protest“ vote and might prove to be a transient phenomenon. It will have to handle a resurgent BJP with the UP win possibly increasing the saffron party's appeal among the capital's large Purvanchali population. Migrant Purvanchalis in slums have backed AAP but demonetisation has given BJP significant outreach. BJP state president Manoj Tewari hali and JD(U) will be contest is a Purvanchali and JD(U) will be contesting all 272 municipal seats this time.
“We have started work for the Delhi corporation elections, but with this result we will have to be more careful. We cannot afford overconfidence. We will leave no stone unturned to campaign well for the next one month,“ said a senior party member.
Performance as Delhi’s ruling party
Three years’ report card
From: February 14, 2018: The Times of India
See graphic:
How the public rated the performance of AAP as Delhi’s ruling party after three years: 2015-18
Punjab
2014>17>19: a rapid decline
Ambika Pandit, May 19, 2019: The Times of India
As the curtain falls over polls in Punjab, it also chronicles the rise and swift fall of Aam Aadmi Party from a time when it was seen as a serious contender for power to an outfit whose identity is tagged to a few individuals rather than being a political force representing change.
After winning four Lok Sabha seats in 2014, AAP fancied its chances in the 2017 state polls but failed to live up to the initial promise. Yet, it was the main opposition with a strong foothold in the Malwa region. But subsequent infighting and local leaders’ exit saw the party decline to an also ran.
The view in the countryside is one of regret as it is felt that AAP may have muffed its lines. In a state where the bipolar of Congress and Akali-BJP is not really enthusing voters, there might have been an opportunity for a third force. Apart from inhouse squabbles, the suggestion in the 2017 poll that the leader could be from “outside” the state has not gone down well with voters.
Except for Sangrur where Bhagwant Mann is in conversation, in nearly all other constituencies people are largely dismissive as the dream of “alternative” politics floated by AAP has lost its appeal given the party’s erratic graph.
The outcome in Punjab, read along with Delhi, could weigh in AAP’s defence of its big majority in the Delhi assembly in the polls scheduled for early 2020. Though local issues tend to dominate state polls, a dwindling national tally after it ended up as lead opposition in the assembly with 20 seats can hardly help its cause.
While the party has banked on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s roadshows in Punjab, these did not go off too well with reports of his being met with black flags in Sangrur.
The pre-poll attempts by Kejriwal to forge an alliance with Congress also set voters thinking. People TOI spoke to said the discussions only served to alienate voters who were looking for options other than Congress and SAD.
