a-house-for-kejriwal-in-punjab-ahead-of-2027-elections

There is something jinxed about Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s house. In Delhi when he renovated the chief minister’s official residence, it turned into a controversy with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party playing it up and accusing him of going out of way to build a “luxurious house” for himself.

 

As ill luck would have it, Kejriwal could not stay long in that house as his party lost the elections and he had to vacate it. The BJP managed to build up a narrative that Kejriwal was indulging in extravagant luxuries. The BJP described the CM house derisively as “sheesh-mahal” (a glass house). The AAP later lost the Delhi elections and Kejriwal also lost personally from the New Delhi assembly segment.

 

The BJP has once again raked up the issue of Kejriwal’s house in Chandigarh, which has been allotted to him from the Punjab Chief Minister’s “housing pool”. The AAP national convenor is likely to spend maximum time in Punjab and Chandigarh as the state enters into the crucial election year.

 

His party’s government in Punjab provided him with a house from the Chief Minister’s pool. Normally, there should not have been any objections as it is the Chief Minister’s discretion as to how he will use and whom he will allot the house that is at his discretion. Given the fierce rivalry between the BJP and the AAP, it (the BJP) raked up the issue, turning it into yet another controversy.

 

Also read: Importance of being Capt Amarinder Singh

 

‘Controversy’ aside, the very fact that Kejriwal has felt a need to stay permanently in Chandigarh reflects the AAP’s seriousness about the 2027 assembly elections in Punjab. It is a “do or die” situation for the party. It is the only bastion left for AAP. The 2027 assembly election results will have a direct bearing on the survival of the party. When senior AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that the party will have to use ‘saam, daam, dhand beid’ (hook or crook) to win the elections, he was spelling out his party’s seriousness about Punjab only.

 

It is going to be a challenging task for the AAP to retain Punjab. Barring only once in 2012, the state has a history of replacing the incumbent governments. Punjabis by nature are non-conformists. The very fact that they gave the AAP an overwhelming and sweeping mandate with 92 seats in a house of 117 in 2022, should also serve as a warning for the party that they do not take much time in taking a contrarian stand. Just five years ago, the same Punjabis had given 77 seats to the Congress in 2017 and brought it down to a mere 18 in 2022.

 

Compared to the Congress, the AAP does not have a matching party infrastructure in place in Punjab. It has practically no cadre unlike other parties like the Congress, BJP and Akalis. Biggest shortcoming for the party in Punjab has been its inability to build up the grassroots level cadre of workers. So much so, the party did not have its own candidates to fight the by-elections in the state even after having formed the government with such a sweeping majority. In most of the by-elections, two parliamentary and eight assembly, the AAP mostly had to field candidates from other parties.

 

Kejriwal is pulling out all the stops to ensure that the party is able to retain Punjab in 2027 elections. Besides him, his two trusted deputies, Manish Sisodia and Satyander Jain have also been permanently camping here. Having worked at and started from the grassroots level, both in Delhi and Punjab, the top AAP leadership must be well aware of the ground realities prevailing in Punjab. Punjab is known for picking up the anti-incumbency and anti-establishment sentiment too fast. The by-election victories notwithstanding, the AAP will have to do a lot to first stabilise itself and then try to regain its numbers, which indeed looks like a tall order right now.

 

The AAP, for a fair assessment of its situation, should look at the 2024 General Election results in Punjab. While the party could win just three of the 13 parliamentary seats from the state, it could lead only from 32 assembly segments. It was a massive fall from 92 seats it had won just over two years ago. There has not been any visible improvement in the AAP’s fortunes since then. The AAP fared like that despite already having provided 300 free units of power to every household across Punjab.

 

Also read: Congress ‘taking it easy’ in Bihar

 

While that remains one of its main achievements, the AAP will need to do a lot more to convince the people and regain their trust. People have a short memory, particularly about the favours they receive from the political parties. They rarely remember what good was done for them and they only remember what was not done. The AAP’s situation is no better and no different.

 

There are still 15 months left for the next assembly elections in Punjab. The 15 months’ period is a long time in politics. While the AAP will obviously try its best to retain its last bastion, the opposition, at the same time, is likely to give the party a run for its money. It is certainly going to be a challenging task for the AAP, particularly its supremo, Arvind Kejriwal. The AAP this time, unlike in 2022, will be going to the elections like any other party or alliance. This time the party cannot repeat the slogan for change or chance. It already got one for five years and that has brought it on a par with others. That way it has already lost its USP of being new and being different.