Needless to say, it is a debacle for AAP. No one expected them to win more than 20 seats (including myself) and they did far worse. Outside of Delhi, where they came in second place in most of the 7 seats, Punjab where they won 4, and a few other urban areas where they managed to finish a respectable 3rd or 4th, they only managed a pitiful 3-4 thousand votes a piece. Even the crowd charmer like Kumar Viswas could only get 25,000 votes in Amethi.
The reasons are many, including the mismanaged handling of Delhi government. That, Kejriwal government would not last more than six months, was a foregone conclusion. But by acting in haste he unnecessarily strengthened the critics’ argument that AAP is all about anarchy and not about good governance. A few other controversies like Somnath Bharathi’s seemingly vigilante justice (I still believe it was more of a perception created by the media than what he actually did), subsequent streetside dharna by Kejriwal himself didn’t help their cause either.
However, there was a much bigger flaw in AAP’s action plan for the loksabha elections. AAP was formed with the idea of self governance. What this meant at the grassroots level is that every constituency formed its own team, selected its own leaders and created its own manifesto. They did this to a large extent in Delhi assembly elections and they were phenomenally successful. In a rush to capitalize on the sudden popularity, AAP went for quantity instead of quality, populism instead of principles. Many supporters did raise their voice against this sudden shift in policy but they were shouted down by the leadership, by silent treatment. Kejriwal and co thought they could take a short cut and arrive at the national scene stunning the mainstream parties with dazzling display of politicking. Alas, they were mistaken. It is not the political tactics or the strategy they adopted that led to their downfall, the die was loaded against them from the beginning, they had no hope whatsoever to begin with.
They forgot the core principles and as a result they foisted candidates on the constituencies without consultation, debate or transparency. They contested from too many seats without any groundwork. AAP focused too much on Varanasi and Amethi, where they had little chance to win, and neglected Delhi where they had a decent chance. In the end they ran out of resources, both manpower and money, to make any difference in most seats. The ground work they had done in Delhi paid off, at least by giving them a decent finish. Other places outside Punjab and urban centers, no so much. The lessons for AAP are clear: don’t forget the principles, don’t forget the grassroots. For future, AAP should remember that there is no shortcut to success in politics.
Does this poor finish mean it is the end of AAP? Far from it. It is only the beginning. Kejriwal, Yadav, Sisodia, Bhushan are but a few faces who may or may not last. The movement is not about them or their strengths and weaknesses. It is about the people’s aspiration for a positive change. This spirit is not going to die, it will only grow stronger as it should. This is the first time that good people got a platform to fight an election on such a wide scale. Because of AAP, for the first time in Indian history honest people felt good about being in politics. This is what AAP is all about. AAP should focus on being a constructive opposition in Loksabha, participate in local elections and build the grassroots, never deviate from the core principles. Aam aadmi will win, sooner or later.
A concerned Indian - moderate political views.
The reasons are many, including the mismanaged handling of Delhi government. That, Kejriwal government would not last more than six months, was a foregone conclusion. But by acting in haste he unnecessarily strengthened the critics’ argument that AAP is all about anarchy and not about good governance. A few other controversies like Somnath Bharathi’s seemingly vigilante justice (I still believe it was more of a perception created by the media than what he actually did), subsequent streetside dharna by Kejriwal himself didn’t help their cause either.
However, there was a much bigger flaw in AAP’s action plan for the loksabha elections. AAP was formed with the idea of self governance. What this meant at the grassroots level is that every constituency formed its own team, selected its own leaders and created its own manifesto. They did this to a large extent in Delhi assembly elections and they were phenomenally successful. In a rush to capitalize on the sudden popularity, AAP went for quantity instead of quality, populism instead of principles. Many supporters did raise their voice against this sudden shift in policy but they were shouted down by the leadership, by silent treatment. Kejriwal and co thought they could take a short cut and arrive at the national scene stunning the mainstream parties with dazzling display of politicking. Alas, they were mistaken. It is not the political tactics or the strategy they adopted that led to their downfall, the die was loaded against them from the beginning, they had no hope whatsoever to begin with.
They forgot the core principles and as a result they foisted candidates on the constituencies without consultation, debate or transparency. They contested from too many seats without any groundwork. AAP focused too much on Varanasi and Amethi, where they had little chance to win, and neglected Delhi where they had a decent chance. In the end they ran out of resources, both manpower and money, to make any difference in most seats. The ground work they had done in Delhi paid off, at least by giving them a decent finish. Other places outside Punjab and urban centers, no so much. The lessons for AAP are clear: don’t forget the principles, don’t forget the grassroots. For future, AAP should remember that there is no shortcut to success in politics.
Does this poor finish mean it is the end of AAP? Far from it. It is only the beginning. Kejriwal, Yadav, Sisodia, Bhushan are but a few faces who may or may not last. The movement is not about them or their strengths and weaknesses. It is about the people’s aspiration for a positive change. This spirit is not going to die, it will only grow stronger as it should. This is the first time that good people got a platform to fight an election on such a wide scale. Because of AAP, for the first time in Indian history honest people felt good about being in politics. This is what AAP is all about. AAP should focus on being a constructive opposition in Loksabha, participate in local elections and build the grassroots, never deviate from the core principles. Aam aadmi will win, sooner or later.
Written by Ravi Kulkarni >>
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