Lage Raho Kejriwal, new tagline of AAP for Delhi poll

Sounding the poll bugle, AAP on Friday released its campaign tagline 'Achche Beete 5 Saal, Lage Raho Kejriwal' (Five years gone were very good, Carry on Kejriwal) even as the party decided to hold a series of meetings and door-to-door campaigns across the capital.

Anticipating the announcement of Delhi Assembly polls any time soon, the AAP had recently engaged poll strategist Prashant Kishor-led IPAC to design its campaign. The new tagline comes following deliberations between AAP and the I-PAC team.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the slogan was based on the feedback of Delhiites. "Today we launched AAP's campaign for 2020 elections for Delhi Assembly, a slogan people of Delhi have been shouting in every jansabha," he said.

In the 2015 elections, AAP had gone to people with the tagline 'Paanch Saal Kejriwal' (Five years for Kejriwal). Soon after Lok Sabha polls in which AAP was relegated to third position, it had launched 'Dilli Mein Toh Kejriwal' (In Delhi, it's Kejriwal) campaign.

Taking the Arvind Kejriwal-led government's achievements to the people, the AAP will be organising 'padayatras' across 70 Assembly constituencies in the next two days. It is also likely to release its report card on December 24.

In another one week, it will also be organising 700 Mohalla Sabhas while another seven town hall meetings will be held in a fortnight time.

In September, AAP had appointed senior leaders Sanjay Singh as its election in-charge and Pankaj Gupta as Campaign Director.

With its pitch for Delhi's full statehood during the Lok Sabha polls not resonating much, the AAP is now highlighting its achievements, including the decision to provide 200 units of electricity and 20,000 litres of water free every month, installation of CCTVs across Delhi and opening of 'mohalla clinics' (neighbourhood clinics) as its trump cards.

AAP hopes for a repeat of 2015 Assembly elections but it may not be an easy walkover for the party as it was relegated to the third position in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Delhi elections are keenly watched this time as in 2015, it was AAP which halted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's so far unassailable political juggernaut when it thrust a humiliating defeat on the BJP by reducing it to just three MLAs in the Assembly.

However, its plummeting vote share is a real concern after it peaked to 54.59% in 2015 Assembly elections after clocking 33.08% in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. AAP's vote share dipped by more than half during the 2017 municipal polls to 26.23% and it further lost ground in 2019 polls as it could garner only 18.11% votes as against Congress' 22.51% and BJP's 56.56%.

Congress has increased its vote share from 9.7% in 2015 to 21.09% in 2017. However, disarray in the Congress after the Lok Sabha elections is a big relief for the AAP as it hopes to have a direct fight with the BJP.