Aam Aadmi Party has won a thumping majority in the assembly elections in the state of Punjab. Arvind Kejriwal led the battle for Punjab from the front and was duly supported by the party's CM candidate Bhagwant Mann. In the exit polls, the party was predicted to win a majority of its own and it lived up to the expectations. AAP is set to form their first state government as Delhi is a Union Territory. But what were the factors which favoured AAP in these elections? Here are 5 major reasons:
1. Poor governance record of the ruling Congress party
There was a massive anti-incumbency against the ruling congress party. The corruption in the state was defined by Kejriwal himself as “inspector and mafia” rule. People of Punjab, disillusioned with both Congress and the opposition SAD, wanted a fresh alternative which could give them a transparent and efficient governance. The issue of drug menace, which flourished under SAD rule and could not be stopped during Congress rule, was taken up by AAP. Kejriwal promised crackdown on drug mafia and punishing the drug traffickers.
Also read| 5 major reasons behind BJP's spectacular victory in Uttar Pradesh
2. Infighting within Congress and persistent irrelevance of SAD
Congress Party was riddled with huge infighting. Six months prior to elections Amrinder Singh was removed as CM and replaced by a Charanjit Channi, owing to massive anti-incumbency against the former’s governance. This was followed by huge infighting in the state party setup which was effectively divided between CM Channi’s support group and Navjot Singh Sidhu-led group as the latter wanted to be the CM candidate. This impacted the morale of the congress cadre and the party failed to put up a united front.
Even though CM Channi succeeded in convincing the party leaders to project him as the CM candidate, the discontent and unrest was out in the open and the public showed their discontent with Congress’s ugly internal politics and poor governance by voting heavily in favour of AAP.
The other main opposition party SAD, ruled by the Badal family, could not get rid of the anti-incumbency even after losing power in 2017 assembly elections. They failed to propose an alternate form of governance and their misgovernance from 2007-2017 was still too fresh in the public memory.
3. AAP’s welfare promises
AAP applied their tried and tested election model vis-à-vis welfare policies, successful in Delhi, in Punjab. They focused on wooing the women voters with a promised INR 1000 per month to every woman in the state, (without explaining where the money will come from given Punjab’s almost bankrupt economy), reduced electricity prices, and a better public health and education infrastructure.
Kejriwal promised that AAP government will gie 300 units of electricity free to every household and that 80 percent of the households will get zero elelctricity bill.
He also promised that the AAP government will provide 24x7 electricity after upgrading the necessary infrastructure. He also promised uninterrupted water supply.
Also read| Poll mandate stamp of approval for BJP's pro-poor governance: PM Modi
4. Early announcement of CM face and prudent ticket distribution
AAP was the first party in the state to announce a CM face (Bhagwant Mann), thereby avoiding the mistake of 2017 when they went to elections without a CM-candidate. In 2017, Kejriwal led the campaign but was branded as an outsider by Congress and SAD. This time, Bhagwant Mann, a popular comedian turned politician, was announced as the CM candidate. Even though he is untested as an administrator, his humble background and achievements as a self-made individual, both as an entertainer and a politician, made him an acceptable face in the election.
AAP also was prudent in picking the right candidates to fight in the 117 seats. It did a thorough internal evaluation to put up fresh faces for the seats, as per media reports. This was given a thumbs up by the voters.
5. Kejriwal’s charisma as a campaigner
Arvind Kejriwal’s personality and charisma as a successful political campaigner was proved once again. After charming the voters of Delhi consecutively in 2015 and 2020, Kejriwal went on a charm offensive in Punjab with hectic campaigning (which started much before other parties began) and catchy slogans such as “Ek Mauka Kejriwal Nu” (Give Kejriwal a chance). The narrative of Kejriwal’s popularity and an efficient governance model in Delhi and AAP’s call for a chance to govern the state caught the attention of the voters of Punjab and they voted for his candidates en-masse.
