The victory of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab has opened a new gateway of expansion for the party. On one side, Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will definitely focus on going to other Congress-ruled states and on the other side he will have to formulate new policy ideas for the party beyond the Delhi model.
In the political commentary, one of the most discussed views right now is that the AAP can emerge as the alternative to the Congress party. But the way AAP walked up in Punjab would be very different for the other states because the party has been fighting electoral politics in the state of Punjab for the past several years and was the main Opposition party. Similarly, in Punjab, the BJP was technically a non-existent political force. Venturing into other states will not be as easy because apart from Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Congress is not in power in any other state.
To defeat the BJP in a state where it has been ruling for the past five years at least will not only need more groundwork but also require a steady plan to conquer.
Meanwhile, the Delhi model of governance is based on a good education, better healthcare facilities, free electricity till 200 units, uninterrupted electricity, free water connections and others. Now because the AAP has a full state, there will be a necessity to develop a model which can be applicable in others. This model of governance can be based on the Delhi-model but will have to be reformed with the learnings and the challenges of Punjab.
Why does AAP want to focus on Gujarat
The AAP's next destination will be the state of Gujarat. The party has some support in the state already. In Gujarat, the party had earlier contested in both the 2017 Assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Significantly, AAP also fought six civic polls in Gujarat last year. In Surat, Kejriwal's party won 27 out of 120 seats and became the key Opposition party.
Kejriwal has already decided to launch Tiranga yatra from April in the state, which will be held at the major constituencies.
Here, AAP will be competing only against the BJP but not with the Congress. The target of Kejriwal's party will be taking away the entire voter base of the Congress party and most importantly the Muslim votes. Gujarat has a significant section of Muslims and the community has always been the traditional voter of the Congress party and the caste dynamics of the state is also very strong. If Kejriwal can get the support of Muslims and the Patidar community then the AAP can give a good fight to the BJP.
What could be AAP's chances in Himachal Pradesh
A section of the AAP is already very hopeful that under the leadership of the Delhi CM, the party will be able to perform well in Himachal Pradesh. The party believes that there is a similarity between Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The people here are not satisfied with the BJP rule and they believe that the Congress Party have betrayed them.
Meanwhile, AAP has already started sending their supporters and leaders to the state to understand the ground realities. The Assembly election in Himachal Pradesh is likely to take place later this year and there is a high possibility that the AAP will launch a full-fledged campaign in the state.
AAP's improved support base in Karnataka
There is also a significant buzz within the party that it will venture into south India. Prithvi Reddy emerged a prominent leader during the COVID-19 pandemic and under his leadership AAP became very proactive on ground.
Bangalore municipality election is around the corner and the AAP is all set to fight the polls with full force.
In the last election, the Congress formed the government with the help of Janta Dal (Secular). However, within months the government fell because several Congress party MLAs joined the BJP. There is significant discontent among people against the Congress because they believe the party has ditched them. The AAP will definitely try to utilise this situation.
During the 2021 civic polls, the AAP came second in the two wards of the Kalaburagi district. One of the party candidates lost by a margin of just 83 votes in the Kalaburagi district. The party also came in the second spot in one ward of the Belagavi city corporation. In the Hubbali-Dharwad district, it got around 12 per cent votes in one of the wards. According to reports, Kejriwal-led AAP got around 3.5 per cent of votes in over 40 wards it had contested.
AAP is all set to start its journey in Telangana
The Aam Aadmi Party will also focus on another southern state, Telangana. The party has recently made a sharp attack on Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. AAP's Telangana in-charge and Delhi MLA Somnath Bharti recently called KCR "Chhota Modi". However, Telangana will be a very different kind of state for the AAP as here the fight will not be with the Congress but against the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). In Telangana, KCR has already taken away the significant chunks of the Congress voters and that is why this state will be a tricky one. The AAP will start with fighting civic polls here in the coming days.
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March 12, 2022 at 07:48AM
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