According to political analysts, AAP, which achieved this political success in less than a decade, has emerged as a major force in Indian politics ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Within a year of forming a short-lived government in Delhi in 2013, AAP tasted success in Punjab in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Then it got four seats with 24.4 percent vote share. After this, in 2015, the party registered a unilateral victory in Delhi. This raised hopes of repeating this charisma in the Punjab assembly elections two years later. But this did not happen and with 20 seats he had to sit in the opposition. At the same time, the Congress won 77 seats under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh.
Benefit from Changed Strategies: Between 2017-2020, the AAP, which is struggling to organize its home in Punjab, has introduced some significant strategic changes in its approach. At first, the party turned its attention back to Delhi.
Second, Arvind Kejriwal himself stopped making aggressive public statements against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On the contrary, there was an emphasis on telling the public the achievements made in Delhi.
Moreover, the party started talking in line with the wider public sentiment and Kejriwal stopped hesitating to reveal his religious identity. Due to its populist plans and changed strategy, AAP again captured Delhi in 2020 with a thumping majority. This victory again raised the hopes of his political expansion in the border Punjab.
Overcame challenges, allegations and defeat in by-elections
Before the last assembly elections in Punjab, the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal used to have a one-on-one fight. In 2017 too, the people of the state were fed up with corruption, rising unemployment, farmers’ problems and drug trade and wanted a change, but there was no strong option in front of them.
The Aam Aadmi Party was more confined to Bhagwant Mann’s area, Malwa rural. At the same time, fears of not contesting elections with CM’s face, arbitrariness like Delhi and colluding with Khalistani elements affected AAP’s prospects.
In the following three years, she also lost by-elections to Lok Sabha and assembly seats. AAP’s state unit was plagued by factionalism, leading to the exit of many leaders.
Gujarat target now
You may not have benefited much in Goa and Uttarakhand. But the historic victory in Punjab has got him excited for the Gujarat assembly elections this year. There the party has already started the election campaign.
redesign
The disintegration of the Congress just before the elections, the separation of the Akali Dal from the BJP and the farmers’ displeasure with the Center strengthened the spirit of AAP to contest the elections to its full potential.
Not repeating its past mistakes, this time the party has already announced the CM face of the Sikh community. He distanced himself from the NRIs so that the opposition does not get any chance to associate the party with the expatriate fundamentalist Sikh elements.
The election campaign focused on the promotion of successful schemes of Delhi in the education, health and power sectors. Made a place in the minds of Punjabi voters by promising development and appealing to do away with misgovernance.
Power will increase in Rajya Sabha: AAP may capture all seven seats in Punjab
Aam Aadmi Party will get big advantage in Rajya Sabha due to tremendous victory in Punjab. Elections for five of the seven Rajya Sabha seats in Punjab are to be held on March 31, in which AAP can win. The tenure of Congress’s Rajya Sabha members Pratap Singh Bajwa and Samsher Singh Dullo, Akali Dal’s Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Naresh Goyal and BJP’s Shwet Malik are nearing completion.
The tenure of Balwinder Singh Bhundar of Akali Dal and Ambika Soni of Congress is completing in July. It is possible that you can win both these seats also. In this way, AAP has come in a position to win all the seven Rajya Sabha seats in Punjab. At present, AAP has three members in the Rajya Sabha, all three elected from Delhi.
Although the chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann is a Lok Sabha member from Sangrur, AAP will not have any member left in the Lok Sabha after he becomes the chief minister.