Arvind Kejriwal finally stepped out of Tihar Jail, having been granted bail by the Supreme Court, which made scathing observations about the Modi government-controlled Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case against him.
Kejriwal announced his resignation as Chief Minister and named Atishi, the AAP minister, as his replacement. His proviso was that he would return once AAP won the elections again.
For a long time, Kejriwal has not held any portfolio in the Delhi government, and as Atishi becomes the third woman to hold the position of Delhi CM, following in the footsteps of the late Sushma Swaraj and the legendary Delhi Congress leader, the late Sheila Dikshit, what lies behind Kejriwal’s new political move?
First and foremost, Kejriwal is the face of AAP — the founder, key leader, and chief campaigner. This move frees him up to campaign full-time in the upcoming assembly elections.
Kejriwal has a huge political appetite for his newbie political party, perhaps India’s most successful political start-up, and he harbours significant personal political ambitions. With Delhi elections due next year, Kejriwal doesn’t want any blowback from anti-incumbency to tarnish his personal brand.
Relentless BJP onslaught
Delhiites across the board are disenchanted with the way AAP has run Delhi and its constant face-offs with the Centre, in the form of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. The city has suffered hugely in the blame game and doesn’t appear to be the capital of a major growing power.
AAP’s politics of freebies and the much-publicised (on government advertising funds) “Delhi model” seem to have run their course, with the “free services” now taken as rights. The expectation that Delhi would erupt in protests if Kejriwal was arrested was completely belied, and even the daily press briefings by AAP leaders on Kejriwal’s deteriorating health in jail didn’t find much traction.
Kejriwal’s personal political brand of “kattar imandar” (fiercely honest) has taken a hit due to his time in jail, alongside the fact that his close associates and ministers — Manish Sisodia, his closest aide and Delhi’s Deputy CM, and ministers Satyendar Jain and Sanjay Singh, Rajya Sabha MP — were also jailed.
One positive takeaway for Kejriwal was that none of his leaders cracked under the undoubted pressure from the BJP, nor did they betray him. The fact that his top party leadership went through a jail ordeal and kept the faith is a significant morale booster for AAP cadres, who are facing a relentless BJP onslaught.
While AAP holds power in Punjab, Kejriwal is astute enough to see that it is hardly a showcase of the alternative model of governance he once touted. For AAP to remain a vehicle for Kejriwal’s growth, he must take the brand national.
Haryana presents a good opportunity (Kejriwal hails from Haryana), and since the alliance with Congress didn’t work out, Kejriwal will campaign with full force. This will be a key test of Kejriwal’s popularity and his commitment to the opposition’s INDIA alliance.
In Delhi, the alliance between Congress and AAP for the parliamentary elections was a total failure, with the BJP winning all seven MP seats. With assembly elections due next year, AAP’s popularity and its ability to negotiate will be put to the test.
Bounce back from adversity?
Kejriwal faces key challenges, such as how he veered away from his promised politics to business-as-usual politics once in office. Involving his apolitical wife, Sunita Kejriwal, in campaigning and giving her a limited public role was also not well-received by the people of Delhi, who had hoped Kejriwal represented a break from the traditional politics of family and dynasty.
Will Kejriwal and AAP bounce back from adversity? Kejriwal is one of India’s sharpest politicians, having built a substantial personal brand in just over a decade. He ruthlessly culled anyone within AAP who questioned him, including founders Prashant Bhushan, Kumar Vishwas, and Yogendra Yadav. The party is now largely a cult centred around Kejriwal.
The Haryana elections will provide key answers, and the Delhi electorate, which holds an outsize influence on national politics, will reveal if AAP is here to stay or is merely a temporary force still committed to public good.
SWAT EXTRA: It can’t be election season in Haryana without it also being SUV season. Sales of SUVs have soared, and virtually all candidates across major parties in Haryana now own a fleet of SUVs. Whether they win or lose, at least their garages are full — much to the delight of car dealers who have had a lacklustre year thus far.
