When the Aam Aadmi Party lost the Delhi Assembly elections and its top leaders ended up amongst the losers, it was clear that Arvind Kejriwal would have to devise new ways to keep himself relevant. Going to the Rajya Sabha was an option since it would provide a platform to the former Chief Minister to push forward his narrative. The only hurdle in the way was that the majority of those who were nominated to the Upper House by the party were non-political elements and therefore for them to vacate a seat to accommodate their Boss was always going to be difficult.
However, the AAP, which is facing repeated onslaughts from the new BJP leadership in the national capital, has perhaps made up its mind to secure a Rajya Sabha berth for its topmost leader. Even though Kejriwal and those close to him have ruled out the possibility, it is evident that a certain arrangement has been made behind the scenes.
Sanjeev Arora, a sitting Rajya Sabha MP has been chosen to contest the Ludhiana West Assembly by-election. The idea is that once he gets elected to the Assembly, he could be made a minister. In addition, the Rajya Sabha berth would fall vacant and if the AAP continues to have the numbers it has in the Punjab Assembly right now, it shall not find it difficult to get Kejriwal in unopposed.
Of course, there is a flip side to it as well. What happens if Arora loses the Assembly byelection and declines to vacate his seat? Sources in the AAP are of the view that a deal has been struck with the MP and he could be made to resign from the Upper House before he commences his campaign for the Assembly polls. He has been promised certain things and the information is that he may find it difficult to back out from the arrangement with his party bosses.
AAP supporters have been maintaining that Kejriwal does not need the Rajya Sabha for furtherance of his politics. The question is that for the narrative to be more effective and properly articulated, there can be no better forum than Parliament. The chips have been down for the AAP following its defeat and the party needs to keep its agenda alive nationally.
There is also another school of thought which suggests that Kejriwal may continue to be the boss but may give the Rajya Sabha to his deputy Manish Sisodia. The logic being provided is that Sisodia has served a longer time in jail and is privy to every decision of the AAP government which is now being probed by central investigative agencies. Therefore, it was important to keep him in good humour.
Politics has its own logic and its own illogic as well. This is what Devendra Dwivedi, political adviser to P.V. Narasimha Rao would often say. Therefore, those who may be thinking that Sisodia, and not Kejriwal would be going to the Upper House, may have a point also.
The real challenge before AAP is to keep its flock together. The BJP shall make every effort to dismantle the party and therefore Kejriwal and his colleagues have to think on their feet to keep things going. The Delhi defeat has been a huge setback to the ambitions of the over ambitious former Chief Minister. The Punjab legislative party is also going through a worrying phase and many MLAs are having second thoughts about continuing with the outfit.
This and many other compelling reasons may have been there for the top leadership to take a decision to get a Rajya Sabha berth vacated. It is very significant that one of the two top most functionaries needs to be in Parliament. The present team of Rajya Sabha MPs of the party has rarely participated in meaningful discussions in Parliament.
The party’s opponents claim that some of those who were selected for the Rajya Sabha were because of considerations other than political. This is a charge which is very difficult to establish. All the same, the MPs have to now stand up for the party and its goals in order to carry Kejriwal’s narrative forward.
Another question that arises is that whether those who have been rejected by the people, should be given a Rajya Sabha berth. Devendra Dwivedi had lost the Lok Sabha polls and despite his proximity with Rao, he was never brought to the Upper House. However, Sonia Gandhi as the Congress president broke this long-standing tradition and to begin with brought Oscar Fernandes, Shivraj Patil and P.M. Sayeid to the Rajya Sabha after they lost the polls.
There were many other examples after that and the Congress did accommodate the losers in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP also has a record which is similar in some respects to that of the Congress. There were those who lost the Lok Sabha polls such as Arun Jaitley and Smriti Irani but were inducted in the council of ministers.
In Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami lost his own election as the Chief Minister but was asked to continue. He later got elected from another constituency in a by-election. Former Prime Minister Morarji Desai was defeated in the Assembly polls of the erstwhile Bombay State but was still made the Chief Minister.
Thus, if Kejriwal or Sisodia do make it to the Upper House, it would be because there are multiple precedents. Moreover, their party needs them to be there in order to keep the party’s voice relevant. Between us.