From Delhi to Punjab: Kejriwal's political pivot or post-poll disarray?

Arvind Kejriwal entered the collective consciousness of Delhi on a humid April day in 2011 when Anna Hazare started an indefinite fast for an anti-corruption ombudsman, ‘Lokpal’, at the capital’s dharna hotspot, Jantar Mantar. Since then, the diminutive leader has loomed large over everyday life in the capital.

The people felt he spoke their language, shared their anger and fought for their dreams. But all changed after 14 years on February 8, when the janta ki adalat (people’s court), as Kejriwal called it, showed little faith in him.

With the AAP’s 12-year dream run suddenly halted and himself facing a humiliating defeat in the New Delhi seat, a downcast Kejriwal posted a 2:04 minute video on ‘X’ promising to play the part of a “constructive Opposition” while recalling what AAP did for them in ten years.

Till then, he had set the talking points even when high and dry, but in the last 111 days, what one wouldn’t see is the AAP chief setting the agenda. Kejriwal is not seen or heard in Delhi.

Cynics would say a battered Kejriwal is bitter with Delhiites, as they have not been thankful to him after enjoying the fruits of the freebies he showered on them. Sure, he is unhappy that he did not get validation from the voters against the BJP that enmeshed him in jail, corroding his carefully crafted image of an anti-corruption crusader and the next-door neighbour.

But has Kejriwal – adulated as aam aadmi politician but actually a dyed-in-the-wool political mind who could be partly credited for masterminding the fall of the mighty Congress at the Centre and cleverly transforming an anti-corruption movement into a political party – taken his eyes off the national capital in a huff?

In the past four months, he has made just three public appearances in Delhi – two at party headquarters and the third while launching AAP’s student wing at Constitution Club. His interventions on Delhi matters are restricted to ‘X’, where he sometimes posts his comments and most often limited to re-posting what Leader of Opposition Atishi and AAP Delhi Convenor Saurabh Bharadwaj post. There is no high drama usually associated with AAP and Kejriwal.

In the period post-elections, AAP has further dwindled in Delhi. It has lost control of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. From 134, AAP’s strength had come down to 100, with many of them crossing over to the BJP or resigning from the party. Last month, it decided not to field a candidate for the mayoral election, fearing that its numbers would further dwindle, a decision that has not gone down well with a section within the AAP.

Thirteen councillors, including municipal veteran Mukesh Goyal, who was the leader of the MCD House, resigned from the party earlier this month, complaining about the directionless journey of the party. They said neither Kejriwal nor his No 2, Manish Sisodia, were available for any discussion and the existing Delhi leadership were clueless.

And, Kejriwal is not seen intervening to arrest the slide. This is not the same Kejriwal that one saw in September last year when he walked out of jail on bail in the liquor scam case. His party was in
disarray with almost all heavyweights behind the bar. He did the heavy lifting, and the party was back on its feet, though it wasn’t enough.

But has he given up on Delhi, where he built his party? If he is not seen in Delhi, he is more visible in Punjab these days, where his party is in power. His admirers say it is tactical, as Delhi elections are far away while the AAP is fighting an existential battle in Punjab, where polls are due in 2027. Also, Kejriwal may not be turning the spotlight on himself as he wants Delhi voters to forget and forgive him and his party. After all, the Delhi results showed that voters were not appreciative of AAP’s disruptive politics.

Absence in Delhi would not mean that Kejriwal has left the party to fend for itself. He got a new team for Delhi while assigning his top aides to states like Gujarat and Goa. His close confidantes Sisodia and Satyendar Jain were sent to Punjab and now spend most of the time there. Kejriwal himself has visited the state more than twice and is taking special interest in the anti-drug campaign.

This comes at a time there is speculation that he may enter Rajya Sabha via Punjab if Sanjeev Arora, the AAP nominee who is a Rajya Sabha MP, wins the seat. For Kejriwal and AAP, Arora’s victory is important even if the party chief does not choose to enter Parliament. AAP sources had earlier emphatically denied any such plans for Kejriwal. A loss in Punjab in 2027 would have a drastic impact for the AAP in Delhi in 2030 and his stature at the national level. That is why Kejriwal is putting all his might behind the border state. But the moot question would still be: how long will Kejriwal keep away from Delhi? For 2027 will also see Delhi having a municipal poll, and its outcome will have a bearing on the AAP.