Do MC poll results point towards loss of face for AAP, failure of party leadership?

The victory in Assembly by-polls had certainly emboldened the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had been shying from holding the Municipal Corporation elections for the past one year. The ruling dispensation in the state hurriedly announced elections for the local bodies earlier this month.

However, the ruling party lost face after its dismal performance in the city as it managed to win only 24 seats out of the total 85 wards. With blame game among the AAP leaders and workers already beginning, the election results clearly proved that the ruling party failed to meet expectations of the electorate which had given 91 seats in the state Assembly elections to the party.

Moreover, the AAP also created history by losing the MC elections to the Congress as it was for the first time that the ruling party lost in the civic body polls. Generally, due to support of the government machinery and various other reasons, local body elections in the city are usually won by the ruling party in the state.

After the election results were announced, an old-time AAP volunteer expressed his anguish on social media by positing, “Lots and lots of respect to AAP Cabinet Minister and in-charge for the MC elections Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal for losing in 61 wards of the city.” Dhaliwal was made in-charge of the MC elections as he was the MLA from the Amritsar (Rural) constituency.

The party had ignored five MLAs from the city and made Dhaliwal in-charge for the elections in the urban area. Though Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh had clearly expressed his displeasure with AAP leaders by fielding his own candidates as independents, other MLAs also not so vocal too did not have much say in the party affairs, claimed an insider.

However, Congress’ victory in MC polls cannot be attributed to charisma or policies of the party. “It is just because people did not have any choice. Voters had to choose between bad, ugly or good,” quipped a local professor.