AAP's landslide Punjab win: here's what worked for Kejriwal-led party

It's a good day for Arvind Kejriwal...just as predicted in exit polls....the Aam Aadmi party is now a Punjab giant.

With a landslide victory in the northern state, the Aam Aadmi Party is the first regional party to form govts in two states.

In a fitting tweet, Kejriwal wrote, "इस इंक़लाब के लिए पंजाब के लोगों को बहुत-बहुत बधाई"

In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party effectively positioned itself as an agent of change.

Here are some factors that have worked for Kejriwal's party in Punjab:

1. Anti-incumbency & a divided Congress

The chorus for change in Punjab grew louder, after two big parties which ruled Punjab for 70 years, failed to deliver.

The bitter infighting in the Congress, the rivalry between Amarinder Singh and Navjot Sidhu, which exploded into a public feud last year....gave the AAP a golden opportunity.

The Congress also failed to consolidate Dalit votes under leader CM Charanjit Singh Channi.

A leadership crisis in the Punjab congress, a clueless Congress high command, puzzled voters on the ground who chose the AAP.

2. Bhagwant Mann as the CM face

One of Bhagwant Mann's formidable strengths is his likeability....

....the comedian has long captured hearts of many Punjabis with his political and social satire.

Punjab's Chief Minister-designate, unlike many political heavyweights in the state, also has a very strong connection with the ground, winning two back-to-back Lok Sabha elections from the Sangrur seat, where he enjoys support of the Sikh community.

3. Delhi model of governance

With kaam and kisaan as the key pillars, Aam Aadmi party's 10-point poll agenda also struck a chord with voters. Modelling the Punjab poll manifesto on the Delhi model of governance, Kerjiwal promised to provide health, power and water at cheap rates, end the drug menace, and give people a corruption-free government.

As the Congress govt failed to resolve the problem of unemployment, Kejriwal's first promise to Punjab voters, was to create jobs, in a Covid battered economy.

4. Farmers' protest

The year-long farmers' agitation is one of the key factors that worked in AAP's favour, as resentment built up traditional parties. While the overall sentiment of the protest was largely against the BJP, the Congress was unable to capitalise on the sentiment on the ground.

The Aam Aadmi Party, meanwhile, cashed in on this gap, with senior leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Raghav Chaddha regularly visiting protesters

So, what next for AAP?

The Aam Aadmi party is pitching itself as the main contender against the BJP in the Gujarat assembly polls, which are due in December this year.

Buoyant on its Punjab win, the AAP has a very real chance of emerging as an alternate political force in Gujarat, which has traditionally been a Congress or BJP stronghold.....

....The AAP is effectively filling a vacuum in the Opposition camp, so will the AAP emerge as a national force against the BJP in the run-up to 2024 general elections?

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