Ahead of polls, AAP fritters away gains

* Local leaders blame lack of autonomy in party for it

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 12

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seems to be frittering away its gains, just before the Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections scheduled early next year.

With the party’s central leadership in Delhi unwilling to yield any control to local leaders, resentment among the rank and file is now showing the signs of the party breaking away, irrespective of a groundswell in favour of the party. With less than three months to go for the polls, the party has not announced a CM face.

It is only after they suffered a setback this week (with two MLAs switching over to the Congress), that the party quickly released its first list of candidates this afternoon, giving tickets to 10 sitting MLAs. This has reportedly been done to plug the exit route for its MLAs, some of who are in “advanced stages of talks” with other parties. The only MLA whose name has not been announced as a candidate is Amarjit Singh Sandoa. Notably, Sandoa is back in the party after rebelling in 2019.

Though no one from the party was willing to go on the record, several leaders The Tribune spoke to said the unwillingness of the party high command to delegate some responsibility to local leaders and allow them to work autonomously, was costing the party dear. “There is just too much interference, making it difficult to work in the party. We are on the ground and know how to strategise our political moves, but the central leadership won’t let us do anything and is trying to micro manage our affairs,” rued a senior MLA.

Other than the two MLAs who switched sides to the ruling Congress this week, another three are reportedly in talks with the ruling party. Party leaders here were thoroughly embarrassed when MLAs Rupinder Kaur Ruby and Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal jumped over to the Congress camp, while the Vidhan Sabha session was on. While Ruby joined the Congress after resigning from the party on Wednesday, Jagga crossed over to the Treasury benches right when the session was on.

The AAP is now left with 11 MLAs, though technically rebel MLA Kanwar Sandhu, and three others — Pirmal Singh Khalsa, Nazar Singh Mansahia and Jagdev Singh Kamalu, who have joined the Congress, continue to be in the party, along with Ruby and Jagga. So while the party’s strength in the Assembly remains at 17, effectively it is 11.

As the party structure shows signs of weakness, it is advantage Congress. This is because both the parties cater to the same vote bank, and AAP has traditionally been eating into the Congress votes. At the same time, a weak AAP does not augur well for the Akalis, as it strengthens the Congress.

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BOX

Cheema brushes aside charges

Harpal Singh Cheema, AAP MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, brushed aside any insinuations that the party was breaking. “People are with the AAP. In the last elections, the party called people and gave them tickets and worked for their win. It is sad that these people have backstabbed the party. We are a national party and like in all other national parties, our party supremo, Arvind Kejriwal, gives us guidelines, but we work independently. It is wrong to suggest that since the CM candidate is not being announced, the party is getting weak. Tell me, has Congress, Akali Dal or BJP announced the CM face yet. We will do it when the time comes, before the elections,” he said.