Arvind Kejriwal and AAP created history in November 2013
when they defeated the incumbent Congress in a thumping and convincing way.
There was euphoria all around the one-city-State of Delhi and throughout the
country. Citizens fed up with having to choose between the rock and the hard
place as far as the existing political Parties were concerned pinned their
hopes on this little Party that cocked its snook at the biggies.
Aam Admi Party (AAP) started barely two years before the
State Election in Delhi comprised activists, idealists and other members of the
civil society. Their single-minded agenda was to end corruption (hardly
surprising since AAP was born out of the India Against Corruption (IAC)
movement). Corruption that is beggaring the country via multi-crore scams.
People have had enough of this and they threw themselves behind AAP
wholeheartedly.
The results of the Legislative Elections saw BJP with 31
seats; the David (AAP) with 28 and the Goliath (Indian National Congress) with
8 (down from their previous 43 – eloquently stating the voter mood about this
Party). Even Kejriwal and AAP were taken
aback by the results. They had had no expectation to form the State Government.
Sure they expected to get a few seats but not enough to make them a contender
to form the government. They were prepared to go into the house with solidity
and dignity. They expected to be a powerful Opposition in the house working
relentlessly and diligently towards a better civil society. But this result became a Catch 22 situation.
No Party had enough majority (36 seats) by itself to form the government. AAP
refused to support either BJP or Congress. BJP and Congress getting together
was impossible. There were only 3 seats that had gone to others. Even if BJP
got them all, they wouldn’t make the necessary 36. Just when it looked like a
re-election in Delhi was inevitable, Congress did the unexpected – it offered
support to AAP. And AAP accepted.
This was AAP’s first big mistake. Political observers
asserted that Congress had made an incredibly canny political move and AAP had
proved its naiveté. It was argued that with the much bigger General Elections
just round the corner, Congress didn’t want to dilute its mind space and
manpower in Delhi for a re-election. It was also alleged that Congress intended
to support AAP only up till the General Elections were over after which it
would take back its support thus making the government collapse and making re-election
a necessity. Having taken the plunge into politics, Kejriwal and his colleagues
in AAP should have known this and resisted the poison offered on a platter. But
they took the offer. While this act was naive, it was also a history creating
achievement – a very young Party formed only of “outsiders” went on the form
the government in the very first election that they ever contested.
What followed was embarrassing at best and disastrous at
worst.