Even NOTA got more votes than AAP in the states that went to the polls.
NEW DELHI
The Aam Aadmi Party, which recently qualified as a national party, failed to open its account in the just-concluded Assembly elections, but this did not stop the party from claiming that there was no serious threat to its future.
While some party leaders gave the excuse that the AAP contested elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as a matter of formality to ensure that it continued enjoying its national party status, others said the party was still young and would need more time to spread its wings to take on older parties like the Congress.
The AAP contested 66 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 85 in Rajasthan and 54 in Chhattisgarh. However, it failed to win even one seat. The AAP got less votes than the NOTA (none of the above) option.
Despite a disastrous outing in the Assembly elections in the heartland, the AAP has stuck to its posturing and claims to be the second largest political party in north India where it rules two state—Delhi and Punjab.
While AAP leaders said the young outfit would get better with time, political analyst Ritwick Srivastav said that the AAP, perhaps, did not contest these elections seriously. Unlike the Gujarat elections earlier, where their entire machinery was heavily invested, AAP was barely visible in the five states (AAP has a unit in all states).
“In my opinion, AAP purposefully stayed away due to its commitment to the I.N.D.I.A bloc. AAP would however expect reciprocity from Congress in the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
After the abysmal show, AAP leader Jasmine Shah took refuge behind the excuse that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party was in its “formative stages” and contested elections in these states to “ensure that our message reached everyone”.
A party insider said AAP has to contest polls since it is now a national party and “it takes time to make inroads”. “All these parties have been working there for a long time,” he said.
Just like in the current elections, the AAP flopped miserably when it contested the Goa and Gujarat elections. In short, the AAP has been restricted to be a two-state party, with Delhi and Punjab being its only strongholds.
An AAP leader claimed it to be the “largest Opposition party” in North India—in reaction to the Congress’ defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
AAP leader Jasmine Shah posted on X, “After today’s results, @AamAadmiParty emerges as the largest opposition party in north India with 2 state governments – Punjab and Delhi.”
If there was an Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh that the AAP was most hopeful of winning, it was Singrauli. In the results declared on 3 December, BJP’s Ram Niwas Shah won by 37,977 votes. Shah beat Congress’ Renu Shah, while AAP nominee and mayor Rani Agrawal got just 8,185 votes.
A political observer said the AAP appeared unaware of the ground realities and should reconsider its future plans to contest in other states. “The party remained in the virtual realm more than on the ground. Party’s Damoh candidate Chahat Mani Pandey probably got the ticket just because she had 12 lakh followers on social media,” said the analyst, adding that the party should avoid contesting in other states if it is under-prepared. Pandey, a social media influencer, could garner only 2,292 votes. The seat was won by BJP candidate Jayant Malaiya who got 112,278 votes.
Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesman Milan Bhargava said the AAP stood no chance of getting even one seat. “How can a party pose a challenge when its own state team has changed twice in five years?” he asked. The AAP had no foot soldiers to campaign and failed to reach out to the voters, he said.