The Delhi election results declared on Saturday showed the Bharatiya Janata Party emerging as the winner, paving way for its return to power in the capital after a gap of 27 years. On the other hand, the verdict has left the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in a void, unclear where to go from here.
On his part, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who lost from the New Delhi seat, accepted the people's mandate with all humility, congratulated the BJP and said it would play the role of a responsible opposition.
However, the calm on the surface exuded by the likes of Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and other leaders of the party, only concealed the impending churn within. The AAP, as it appears, finds itself stuck in unchartered territory - unclear how to navigate the seas.
Since its inception, the AAP has never been out of power in Delhi. It does not know how to behave like an Opposition and the absence of its top rung of leaders from the Assembly only leaves the party's future uncertain. Rumours of Kejriwal considering a shift to Punjab, and the chaos it could possibly ensue, is already talk of the town.
So, what next for Kejriwal and the AAP? Where does this fledgling party that made a bumper debut with its ascent to stardom go from here? And where does that leave Kejriwal with all his legal tangles in all of this?
Kejriwal is currently embroiled in corruption and defamation cases and remained in custody over alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, a case that has led to several high-profile arrests. The Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation continue their probe, with Kejriwal also summoned for questioning.
Essentially, the party now remains a party in power only in Haryana. Its attempts to expand base in other states (Gujarat, Haryana, MP, Goa) have borne little fruit so far. With a party left rudderless in the Delhi Assembly after having enjoyed brute majority in the decade gone, the AAP has little left to look up to at this time.
For starters, AAP's national ambitions will have to take a backseat for now and Kejriwal will have to return to basics, set itself at least a decade back to recalibrate and strategise about its future.
This may require Kejriwal to return to his original street style politics that shot him to the spotlight after the Anna Hazare movement. The biggest challenge for Kejriwal, however, would be to keep his own party from imploding and its volunteer base from drifting apart in the absence of power.
Nationally, the Congress would be keen to benefit from a weakened AAP and try and use the opportunity to embolden its own cadre to expand and reclaim the space it had ceded to the fledgling party. Kejriwal is unlikely to remain the favourite among Opposition parties and should brace for a long-drawn lonely battle of grit.
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