Will Kejriwal's attempts to dub Congress as 'finished', make Gujarat a triangular fight and help BJP?

Vibha Sharma

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New Delhi, September 16

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal dismissing the opposition Congress as a “finished” force in poll-bound Gujarat is being seen as an attempt to turn the critical election in a three-cornered contest that may help the ruling BJP, which is said to be facing massive anti-incumbency in PM Narendra Modi’s home state.

A general belief is that the model may be replicated at the national level to “scuttle” plans of any united opposition against the BJP and Modi in the 2024 general election.

Observers say the “formula” won AAP not just Delhi but also Punjab. It may not have worked in Kejriwal’s favour in Goa and Uttarakhand but it did help the BJP thwart the Congress’s plans in the two states.

There are many theories over why Kejriwal is directly targeting the Congress, the main being the allegation that he is working as “B team of the BJP”. Propagators of this theory point to several similarities in the BJP and AAP ideologies.

This apart, the fact is that Kejriwal is the only leader with sway over the Hindi heartland, the core strength of the BJP, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath.

So far, Kejriwal has concentrated largely in states where the Congress is in a direct fight with the BJP. “States where regional satraps are strong or in power, AAP faced limited chances. Therefore, relegating Congress to the sidelines in its core states like Gujarat, Kejriwal, in a way, is also limiting the chances of Rahul Gandhi emerging as the leader around which regional parties can rally round.

“Given its voter base despite the beating it has been getting in the past few years, without the Congress as its part it may be unviable for the opposition to put together a collective force to take on the BJP. As a political plan, it works in favour of the BJP which will then have to deal with a divided opposition instead of one combined entity,” they say.

Whether AAP will be able to occupy the opposition space in Gujarat will be revealed after the results, but the fact remains that it is the only opposition party in the country, apart from the Congress, to have governments in two states. In those terms, Gujarat is an interesting state to watch for political observers.