Don’t write off Arvind Kejriwal and his AAP!

As the nation waits with bated breath for the results of the just concluded mammoth 10-stage election, one clear winner is already on display. And that is the AAP and its radically fresh and welcome electoral strategy. It is of little importance if it can send any member to parliament.

To realise the import of AAP’s phenomenal rise, one has to for a moment keep aside the ‘how many seats’ approach to understanding electoral politics. Here are the reasons: First, whether the two main, established, flushed with funds and state-power-wielding political parties, namely the Congress and the BJP, and the largely pliable media, agree or not, the 2014 elections ended up as a contest where the maverick AAP became the rule-setter in some of the intense battles.

Simply by taking on Narendra Modi in Varanasi, the AAP forced the nation’s attention and, in turn, the world’s, on Arvind Kejriwal and his greenhorn party. Thus, the AAP, with its woefully inadequate funds and human resources, made sure that the media attention stayed on it and its two star candidates – even if the attention was mostly laced with cynicism, derision and outright hostility.

A few quick examples of rule-setting by AAP. Its supporters wore a white cap. Soon BJP supporters started wearing orange caps. When AAP groups started small street-corner meetings and visiting neighbourhoods with singing bards, BJP and Congress cadres tried to emulate that too. When AAP and its leaders wanted to reach Indians directly, they bombarded the social media like Facebook and Twitter with instant updates, BJP and Congress tried the same approach, but miserably stayed far behind in that race. And, above all, the AAP volunteers played the ‘underdog’ role to the hilt, going as far as responding with flowers and songs when attacked by agitated goons of established parties.

Arrayed against helicopters, billions of rupees in party coffers, ferociously loyal RSS and sundry other militant outfits of BJP, and the government-backed ruling Congress and its vast resources, the AAP still stole the march over two heavyweights like Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. Commenting on Kejriwal’s rise, sociologist Dipankar Gupta said, ‘Amazing! No money, no muscle. A great case study for sociology and political science.’

Second, just by putting up 434 candidates across India the AAP succeeded in creating an instant outreach across India and thereby laid the foundation to build upon for the next electoral fight. 

Third, AAP can’t be dismissed any more with epithets like ‘anarchists’ or ‘the fleers’. The party and its cool but vocal leaders have raised extremely important issues like corporate influence over government, rampant corruption by state functionaries, lack of accountability in governance and the widespread malfeasance and bureaucratic callousness that ordinary Indians daily suffer from.

No matter who wins the 2014 race, Kejriwal and his AAP will already have their share of glory. And that is good news for India’s democracy. IANS