“ Do Not Put Each Foot in a Different Boat.”
– Chinese Proverb
A defeat in elections should not be The End of politics for a political party.
There are examples how parties who were humbled in one election could bounce back with huge majority in next elections.
It is a different matter that with AAP ( Aam Aadmi Party) things seem to be unfolding in rather unpredictable ways, thanks to its rather unceremonious exit from the citadels of power in Delhi and defeat of all its top leaders in the recently held elections to the assembly.
Nobody would have imagined that its Supreme Leader would feel so insecure after the loss that he will summon all MLAs of his party – which is leading the government in neighbouring Punjab – to the national capital the very next day for consultation or may be sweet talk.
No doubt it did give way to speculations about increasing disgruntlement within his party and its legislators and their being in search of greener pastures.It also rekindled debate about the personality centric functioning of the AAP or how a close confidante of Kejriwal was appointed on a key post under Bhagwant Mann – Chief Minister of Punjab – last year itself which was construed as clipping of his wings by the opposition.
II
There are various reactions to the verdict which humbled the decade old party in the national capital.
Kejriwal has formally accepted the verdict and has congratulated BJP for the win and has also promised cooperation with the government.
Allegations of manipulation of electoral lists – and inflating the actual number of voters fraudulently – or deletion of voters, who would be voting for the opposition in any case, did find mention in AAP leaders immediate reaction to the results. In fact, a web magazine had provided details of a survey about this issue in a high profile constituency and even a section of AAP leaders themselves had held a press conference befor the day of the voting.
Former leaders of AAP – Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav – have blamed Kejriwal for AAP’s loss, they have said how Kejriwal’s controversial “Rs 45 crore Sheesh Mahal” and the party’s departure from its original vision of alternative politics led to this debacle. According to them AAP has turned into a leader-centric organisation. (1)
Ashutosh, formerly associated with AAP felt that it is too early to write its obituary and is still hopefull that it will learn right lessons from its debacle and make necessary course correction. He seems hopeful that the party will be a able to retrieve its ‘moral veneer’ and reinvigorate itself. (2)
Undoubtedly most miserable are its die-hard supporters, who are finding themselves in a blind alley. Many of these supporters had also joined or had been sympathetic to the RSS inspired Anna movement (3) which had laid the basis for formation of Aam Aadmi Party.
There is a sprinkling of such elements even among the intellectual circles – who were hoping against hope that ‘Mufflerman’ will be able to make a hattrick this time and would be able to consolidate himself further much on the lines of 30 plus year old regime of the Left in Bengal.
Looking at the fact that the fight had become triangular – with Congress also in the rings – and the challenging road ahead before AAP, they had unleashed an attack on the Congress Party and its ‘clowns’ for ‘playing spoilsport’. They seem unmindful of the fact that it was AAP only which had unilaterally closed the door for any adjustment with the grand old party in Delhi, for the assembly elections immediately after the elections to the parliament.
Merely on this count they had no qualms even in questioning the sincerity of the Congress in fighting the BJP which had played a key and leading role in putting BJP on the matt in the last Lok Sabha elections.
Perhaps they had developed a sort of selective amnesia about the recently held elections to the Haryana assembly as well where AAP had fielded candidates from all seats. Their ‘strength’ in Haryana could be easily gauged from the fact that barring one seat, their candidates had lost deposits in all these seats. No doubt, they were ‘successful’ in Congress losing 4-5 seats. For posterity it need be mentioned here that most of the prepoll surveys had also said that Congress would triumph the BJP led NDA government there.
The path AAP followed in Haryana was no exceptional.
It was a continuation of its strategy of fielding its candidates from those regions where Congress was in contest and they had practised this modus operandi in Goa, Uttarakhand as well as Gujarat.
This tactics has objectively weakened Congress in its relative strongholds, helped gain AAP some foothold and directly / indirectly strengthened BJP at the national level. Remember, a division in anti-BJP votes has always helped BJP
III
“Ram temple consecration: AAP plans ‘Sundar Kand’ in Delhi on Tuesdays” (4)
The motley combination of AAP supporters has been so enamoured of its slogan of ‘clean politics’ that they not only refused to see AAP’s slow metamorphosis into just another poltical party or alleged involvement of its leaders in scams and its trying to imitate BJP on the Hindu turf.
What is further surprising that the way AAP tried to transform into Hindu first party gradually, how it refused to address the stigmatisation and marginalisation of the minority community under BJP rule , how it refused to stand by the Muslim commuity in the North East Delhi riots of 2020 or the way it used the gathering at Nizamuddin Markaz – much like the rightwing forces – to put a blame on the Muslims for spread of Corona, etc and never became their concern. (5) Remember, Kejriwal had supported abrogation of Article 370; and when AAP’s chances of an alliance with Congress fizzled out prior to a previous election, he had then made claims in a press conference which were clearly construed to polarise voters.
It is now history how Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal had announced distribution of “”legally permissible weapons” in Delhi on the eve of elections. AAP – despite being in power in Delhi – did not deem it necessary to oppose such sectarian mobilisation and arming of ordinary Hindus. As per reports this campaign had slowly gained momentum and thousands of Hindu men and women had been given “legally permissible “ tridents and daggers respectively after big public meetings. There are also reports that AAP did not oppose this distribution of weapons to Hindus men and women but ( at places) it did not even stop its candidates from participating in these purely Hindutva Supremacist programmes (6)
One of the most shameful episodes in the AAP’s journey to legitimise its Hindutva Lite politics was it’s competing with the Bharatiya Janata Party to decide’who can hate and oppress Rohingya refugees more in election season’ (7)
Perhaps the special message for the migrant children – particularly Rohingya children living in her state – shared by the ex Chief Minister of Delhi Ms Atishi Marlena ( 25 th December 2025) on X, would always remain as a testimony to the party’s moral bankruptcy :
“On one side are the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] people who bring Rohingyas to Delhi by making them cross the border from Bangladesh and give them EWS [Economically Weaker Section] flats and facilities meant for Delhiites.
On the other hand, there is the Aam Aadmi Party [AAP] government of Delhi which is taking every possible step to ensure that the Rohingyas do not get the rights of Delhiites. Today, the education department of the Delhi government has passed a strict Order that no Rohingya should be given admission in the government schools of Delhi.
We will not let the rights of the people of Delhi be taken away!” (translated to English from the original Hindi post) (8)
Examples galore but one can discuss them at an opportune time.
Its Hindu first policy in a multi religious country found its reflection in its announcement of the policy of honororariums for temple priests and granthis in Gurudwara per month to the tune of Rs 18,000 on the eve of elections but had not made similar annoucements for priests of Ravidas Mandir, Valmiki mandir or Buddhist priests.
Questions have also been raised about this ‘opportunistic’ approach of AAP – wherein – despite all its talk of respect of Dr Ambedkar, it had forced one of its ministers to resign from his post just because he had read out the 22 pledges uttered by Dr Ambedkar [ which were then repeated by millions of people gathered there] (9)
IV
“ Elections will come and go. But the BJP will measure its success by a longer-term cultural transformation. The goal of this cultural transformation is twofold. It is to assert Hindu majoritarianism. But it is also to transform Hinduism from a variety of religious practices into a consolidated ethnic identity. “ (10)
Where does AAP go from here ?
Whether it will further its journey on the slippery path of Hindutva lite politics with more vigour and passion to regain its lost support
If history can be a guide before the party, it can learn how its bete noire namely Congress party had tried its own soft Hindutva politics in late eighties and how it ended up strengthening the BJP only
Whether it would be possible for it to reinvent itself – take a radical break with its “[i]deological moorings within the larger framework of the RSS’ (11) as commented by a senior activist and make a new start ?
Wellknown journalist Ravish Kumar has made a video on AAP’s defeat in Delhi elections,(12) it raises a question which takes the debate further. According to him AAP – which rode to victory thrice in Delhi and is now ruling neighbouring Punjab as well , now has to ask a question to itself ‘what is its ideology’ Any dilly dalliyng on this part would be now detrimental to its future in long run. Ambitguity on this issue will not serve it anymore.
Any neutral observer of the situation, who believes in rule of law, key importance of Constitution in the making of the society is seeing before our own eyes how democratic processes are being throttled or how they are itself being used to facilitate ascent of supremacist forces in the society. To put in a nutshell the battlelines of a different kind have already been drawn and any political formation has to make a choice, where does it stands in this ‘Mahabharat’ of a different kind.
On one side of this ‘battlefield’ are all those individuals, organisations, political parties who want to save Constitution – who cherish its principles and values and who are keen that the India envisaged by the founders of Constitution – where there would not be any discrimination on the basis of gender, caste, religion etc anymore survives and it says a final ‘No’ to politics of hate / exclusion and on the other side are all those individuals, formations, political parties who are keen that this great country – with a history of composite heritage -ushers into a Hindu Rashtra.
AAP’s record of ambivalence since a decade and more is clear and of late one is witnessing growing fascination for this Hindutva Lite politics, among avowedly secular parties also seem to fall prey to it under mass pressure on occasions.
Perhaps all these new entrants to this experiment may consider themselves smart players in the Indian politics – who are supposedly able to retain their identity but also expand their footprints in the region but they forget the fact that by not defending secular principles and values and trying to imitate Hindutva politics in their own non-intimidatory way, they are basically furthering and consolidating the Hindutva project itself. All their so called smart moves further accelerate the dynamic of this project to rebuild India into a Hindu Rashtra
V
More than four months back one fine morning Chandrababu Naidu, leader of Telugu Desam party (TDP) and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, shocked the devotees of a very famous Tirupati temple by making unsubstantiated claims about the quality of laddoos served there, alleging that they contained animal fats.
The motive behind raking up this issue – without even ordering an enquiry into it – was obvious to everyone. Naidu, who kept brandishing his secular image despite his cosy relations with Supremacist forces (or his support to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP at the Centre) wanted to target not only his predecessor Jagan Reddy, a born Christian and leader of the YSR Congress Party, who is also the ex-Chief Minister of the state, he also wanted to communicate to voters that if the time comes, he can prove a ‘bigger Hindu’ than BJP because he is equally sensitive to ‘majority community anxieties’.
Naidu’s shedding his secular image was matched equally by what his Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan of the Jana Sena Party did in this laddoo row. While Naidu made unsubstantiated claims about presence of animal fats in the laddoos (sharing selected contents of a July report in the month of September), Kalyan went a step further. He peddled the theory that Hindu faith was in danger in India and it was time to constitute a Sanatan Dharm Raksha Board.
Hopefully AAP’s unceremonious exit from the citadels of power despite following Hindutva Lite politics rigorously should prove to be a warning bell for these new cheerleaders of Hindutva Politics.
It is time such leaders understand that riding a tiger (may be a metaphorical one) always looks promising in the near future, but a tiger is a tiger, and such trips are always short-lived.
Subhash Gatade is a left activist associated with New Socialist Initiative
Notes / References
1. https://www.business-standard.com/elections/delhi-elections/delhi-election-result-prashant-bhushan-yogendra-yadav-arvind-kejriwal-aap-125020900292_1.html
2. https://www.ndtv.com/opinion/delhi-polls-and-aap-rout-is-this-a-setback-or-a-wipeout-only-kejriwal-can-decide-7663263 ;https://www.thequint.com/opinion/arvind-kejriwal-fall-of-crusader-death-of-dream-corruption-free-india-change)
3. https://www.newsclick.in/anti-corruption-movements-and-right
4.https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/ram-temple-consecration-aap-plans-sundar-kand-in-delhi-on-tuesdays-124011500728_1.html)
5. https://countercurrents.org/2025/02/clash-of-titans-really-who-can-hate-the-other-more/)
6. ‘ Do Navon ki Sawari ..’ Rajendra Sharma ; https://epaper.deshbandhu.co.in/view/7124/deshbandhu-raipur/7. (https://theleaflet.in/international-law-world-affairs/a-rohingya-education-for-the-race-to-the-bottom-in-indian-politics ; https://countercurrents.org/2025/02/clash-of-titans-really-who-can-hate-the-other-more/
8. https://theleaflet.in/international-law-world-affairs/a-rohingya-education-for-the-race-to-the-bottom-in-indian-politics
9. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rajendra-pal-gautam-on-anti-hindu-charge-ambedkars-vows-still-relevant-says-aap-ex-minister-rajendra-gautam-on-what-cops-asked-him-aap-silence-3424549_ –
10.https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/caa-protest-india-bjp-delhi-elections-6244995/
11. https://thewire.in/politics/delhi-assembly-election-results-did-rss-dump-the-aap
12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sHsk1_pIiA&pp=ygUVcmF2aXNoIGt1bWFyIG9mZmljaWFs
