In a development that could have ramifications for the northern region of the country, the I.N.D.I.A bloc partners have decided to throw their weight behind jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A rally to express their solidarity with the Aam Aadmi Party boss is being organised at Jantar Mantar, later in the week, where representatives of all the opposition parties that are a part of this alliance will attend.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took the lead on Friday and visited Kejriwal’s Flag Staff Road residence in Civil Lines. It is common knowledge that within the bloc, Mamata and Kejriwal enjoy a special equation and have always supported each other.
The AAP on its part is preparing for the Assembly polls in Delhi next year where it will be pitted against both the BJP and the Congress. In addition, there is a possibility that the AAP may field nominees for the Haryana Assembly polls to be held later this year, something which would rub the Congress the wrong way.
The Delhi Congress chief, Devendra Yadav has stepped up efforts to revive the grand old party, and is, on a daily basis, meeting workers in some corners of the city or the other. The Congress calculation is that if Kejriwal remains in jail, the AAP may find it difficult to once again repeat its earlier performances, and there would be a fair chance of revival. At present, the Congress has no member in Parliament or Assembly from Delhi.
In fact, the Congress, which contested the Lok Sabha polls in collaboration with the AAP in the national capital was unable to make its mark and its three nominees, like those of the Kejriwal outfit, were humbled by the BJP, which won all the seven seats.
The BJP, which has not won in the Delhi Assembly since 1998, wishes to make a comeback and is putting its strategy together. In 2013 end, when Kejriwal had defeated sitting Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit by over 26,500 votes from Gole Market, the BJP had emerged as the single largest party with 32 seats, followed by AAP with 28 and Congress 8. There was every possibility that the BJP would form the government with the help of Congressmen, who were willing to back Rambir Singh Bidhuri, if he was made the CM. Bidhuri who was the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly since 2020, is now a Lok Sabha MP from South Delhi.
Politics within the BJP took over and Arun Jaitley, who was given the task of looking over Delhi, somehow ensured that the BJP did not form the government either with Bidhuri as the CM or veteran leader, Jagdish Mukhi. Subsequently, the Congress committed a hara-kiri by backing Kejriwal, who took over as the CM for a brief stint, thus paving the way for bigger things later.
In the Assembly, the AAP has never looked back and both in 2015 and 2020, it made a clean sweep of the city. It is another matter that the differences with the Centre led to the prosecution of some of its leaders including Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain. Now Kejriwal is also facing legal action in some cases and both the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI are pursuing them.
But the brand Kejriwal has not disappeared with his arrest, something which the BJP would have estimated. However, instead, his following has remained intact, though there are serious differences which have cropped up within his party. The Swati Maliwal episode was an indication of not all is well.
Moving ahead, the AAP knows that if it has to retain the government, it has to prevent the Congress from making inroads. The BJP is a declared enemy and so far as AAP politics is concerned, it has always aimed at making the country “Congress Mukt”. In Punjab, the two parties opposed each other and they are evenly matched since the BJP is non-starter there and the Akalis are trying to put their house in order.
A showdown with the Congress is on the cards and unless senior leaders of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, sort out differences between the two partners, there could be clash, first during Haryana elections and then in Delhi. The Congress is well placed in Haryana and many veterans are convinced that it will return to power under the leadership of Bhupinder Singh Hooda. However, AAP’s entry there would make things uncertain.
The problem is not as simple as it appears for the AAP as well. If Kejriwal was to enter the fray in Haryana, it could also have an impact on the party’s standing in adjoining Punjab, where his organization is in power. Punjab and Haryana have many outstanding issues, and in that context, the AAP shall have to tread its path very carefully.
The BJP is watching the situation with abundant caution, and is likely to exploit any such development. With Kejriwal in jail, the saffron brigade is also exploring the possibility of launching Operation Lotus in Delhi. Feelers have been sent to some of the AAP functionaries, but so far, the flock has stood together. Nevertheless, there is realization that Kejriwal, had, while finalizing the nominees of Rajya Sabha, both in Delhi and Punjab, made some grave errors.
The party’s day to day affairs are being overseen by its young leaders, Atishi Singh and Raghav Chadha, who is back and in the thick of AAP politics. The future shall be determined once Kejriwal gets released or remains inside. Between us.