After three years of its rule in the national capital, AAP seems to have lost some popularity among people of Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party is the clear leader when it comes to Assembly Elections. But for Centre, BJP is the first choice in all 7 Lok Sabha constituencies.
According to latest trends AAP was ahead in Sangrur, the Congress was leading in eight parliamentary constituencies of Punjab while the Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP were leading in two Lok Sabha seats each. Last time AAP had won 4 seats in Punjab, this is also a sign which is showing that the party is losing its face in Punjab as well.
AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, fought its first election in 2013, in Delhi. The party delivered a stunning performance, helping oust the Congress under Sheila Dikshit after 15 years in office. The party won 29 of the 70 Assembly seats. The BJP won more seats but failed to cobble together a coalition. In the end, AAP formed a minority government with Congress’s support. The arrangement was riven with disagreements, however, leading Kejriwal to quit after just 49 days. The move was seen as a key reason for AAP’s lacklustre performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
But while AAP was gaining popularity, the party’s desperation to enter national politics and begging the Congress for a pre-poll alliance in Delhi, are some indications that AAP is slowing losing the plot.
So what are the reasons which show Arvind Kejriwal is losing the plot?
Governance and agitation: Arvind Kejriwal wanted to retain his angry young agitationist image and, at the same time, become the face of transformative new governance. The demand for full statehood for Delhi has again gained ‘momentum’ with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s protest at Raj Bhawan. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) deployed a new strategy this time – a sit-in protest inside Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s house. For Arvind Kejriwal, protests are nothing new, even after his election as the CM twice. But while Kejriwal’s protests were on the road, this time it is ‘in-house.’
Negative campaigning: “Modi is a coward and a psychopath,” Kejriwal famously tweeted in December 2015. His party even ran a Twitter campaign targeting PM Modi over his estranged wife. The first thing Kejriwal would do in those days after waking up was to tweet against Modi. He even put out a video saying Modi can get him killed.
