Gujarat Elections 2022: will newcomer AAP make its mark in Gujarat politics?

After taking Punjab from Congress earlier this year, the Aam Aadmi Party is looking to claim a BJP stronghold.

Will AAP manage to shake BJP's foundations in the ongoing Gujarat Assembly elections?

This is the question that surrounds the aggressive campaign undertaken by the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

The AAP, which is contesting all 182 seats, is in power in Delhi and Punjab.

The party has projected itself as the main challenger to incumbent BJP which Home Minister Amit Shah brushed aside stating the real battle is between the Congress and BJP.

As Kejriwal seeks to cover more ground across the country, here is a quick overview of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats faced by the Aam Aadmi Party in the upcoming Gujarat elections.

AAP’s ‘party with a difference’ pitch has created an appeal among lower-middle class voters. AAP has assured, if voted to power, it will provide free electricity up to 300 units per month as well as Rs 3,000 per month to the unemployed and Rs 1,000 every month to women above 18 years of age. It promises to address some very basic issues affecting voters.

Arvind Kejriwal's party is the new kid on the block. It does not have a vote bank and victory in 2021 local body elections does not assure a win in Assembly elections.

The party also lacks local leadership that will appeal to the masses and its grassroots organisation is no match for that of BJP and Congress.

AAP has a chance to make itself heard in Gujarat, beginning a new political narrative. If it wins even a few seats in the Congress, BJP dominated state it will establish a base and then it can gauge its position for the 2024 General Elections.

AAP is up against BJP's trump card, the 'Modi factor' that gives the saffron party an edge over its rivals. Adding to that is BJP's well-entrenched Hindutva politics that AAP has to break through.

The AAP's presence has made December's elections a three-cornered contest in a state where politics has remained essentially bipolar.

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