Lack of bonhomie between AAP, Congress workers behind rout

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, June 4

Despite running a high-pitch campaign, led by its national convener and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) drew a blank in the Capital in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

AAP’s performance is seen as particularly bad as the party had defeated the BJP to clinch 62 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. Besides, it commands a majority in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

One of the reasons for the surprising result is said to be the lack of bonhomie between the Congress’ and AAP’s cadres, due to which votes of one party could not be transferred to the other, despite the strong coordination between the party leaders.

No one expected AAP to win all four Lok Sabha seats that it contested in the Capital, owing to the negative publicity it received due to the alleged involvement of its leadership in the excise policy scam. But a complete rout despite an alliance with the Congress has come as a surprise.

Many expected AAP to get sympathy votes after Arvind Kejriwal was jailed and later released on a 21-day interim bail to campaign, but the results have proven otherwise.

AAP’s slogan — ‘Jail ka jawaab, vote se’ — could not bear fruits for the party. Even as Sunita Kejriwal held roadshows in support of AAP candidates, urging people to vote for the INDIA bloc against her husband’s arrest, it apparently did not appeal to voters.

In the national context, the Aam Aadmi Party won in three of the 22 constituencies, from which it contested. In Punjab, AAP contested alone from 13 seats and managed to win three seats in the state. In Gujarat, it fought on the Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats, while in Assam, it fielded candidates from Sonitpur and Dibrugarh. It also contested from a seat in Haryana.

A star campaigner for the INDIA bloc, Kejriwal was frequently seen criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Scheme, which was announced in the Delhi Budget eyeing the General Election, also failed to reap rewards for the party.

‘No sympathy votes’

• No one expected AAP to win all the four Lok Sabha seats that it contested in the Capital, after the alleged excise policy scam.
• However, a complete rout despite an alliance with the Congress has come as a surprise.
• Many expected AAP to get sympathy votes after Arvind Kejriwal was jailed and later released on a 21-day interim bail to campaign for the party, but the results have proven otherwise.
• Even in the national context, AAP could only win three of the 22 seats, from which it contested.