words per minute
22
md_farhan_qamar
00:00
Speed
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s landslide victory in Punjab is not just an important milestone for the 10-year-old party. The victory also has the potential to change the landscape of electoral politics in India. The AAP has entrenched itself well in the national capital and now tasted victory in a state which was, by and large, following the two-party system till now.
In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal has limited space to perform as the city-state is more or less a glorified municipal corporation in terms of powers and responsibilities. Punjab, however, is both a challenge and an opportunity. Challenge, because in a complex situation, its governance model may fall apart and opportunity in a sense that if AAP is able to manage the affairs of the state well then it has the machinery to amplify and showcase it at the national level.
The most crucial test for the AAP will be the Gujarat assembly elections later this year. Gujarat may catapult AAP on the national stage in a manner where it can claim the position of the principal opposition party. This will have implications for the Congress.
The Congress is in disarray. With Punjab gone, it has only two states, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, left to govern. In Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, it is a junior partner. The party has lost both its ideological differentiators and organisational base. It is not in a position to elect a full-time president and is not going for intra party elections. 2022-23 will be a year of opportunity for the party, provided it ramps up its machinery and performs well in Gujarat and Karnataka. The Congress has exhausted its trump card, Priyanka Gandhi, in UP elections, despite knowing that it wasn’t going to work in the state.