Amidst much furor and hullabaloo, arrived the decision of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to form a minority government with Congress, thus putting all debates and heated discussions to rest. No wonder that Arvind Kejriwal will soon be sworn in as the new and the youngest Chief Minister of Delhi, the political drama that had preceded the final decision of AAP has been no less than a cat-and-mouse game. Disinclination of Congress and BJP to form a government has perhaps paved a smoother path for AAP to form the government, although it is more suited to sit in the opposition. A very natural question that arises is whether AAP is right in taking the decision or is it blindly heading towards a trap laid jointly by the BJP and the Congress.
Let us analyze the factors that led not just AAP to take its decision but also led BJP and Congress to take their particular stance contrary to their natural inclinations. First of all, it is vital to note that AAP has been allowed to form a minority government for merely the next two months to come. And all the three parties must have assessed their costs and benefits in making their moves. BJP has chosen to sit in the opposition. This might be an overt act of portraying themselves to be a party that is not hungry for power however it might also be a covert act to let AAP go through humiliation. Given the two month period, AAP might not be able to fulfill its commitments of free water supply and power tariff audits to the public of Delhi. BJP also hopes to find Kejriwal busy in the administration affairs of Delhi for the next two months, which would leave him with hardly any time to consolidate his party to other states, a factor necessary for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Moreover, if BJP had gone ahead with the idea of forming a government, it would have required buying of MLAs, a step which would have fired back at the party. It also risked facing stiff opposition from AAP, where Kejriwal and his AAP brigade would have left no stone unturned in exposing scandals one after the other. However, in the current scenario, AAP would be under greater scrutiny.
In the wake of these challenges, why did AAP resolve to form a government? Well, AAP has also been wary of its decisions and has perhaps taken the step in the best of its wisdom. It is quite probable that AAP might not lose its following even if it fails to deliver in these two months. The short duration of time provided to AAP is certainly insufficient to bring about a massive change. AAP knows this and the common people know this as well. AAP might be able to garner even better support by initiating its promised endeavors and contesting for Lok Sabha polls saying that they need more time to fully implement their pledges. Thus playing on the benefit of doubt, it is quite probable that AAP might be able to create history in the realm of Indian politics. It is hard to digest that a party which has been able to garner public support in such a short period of time would lose its goodwill in just two months.
The risk BJP has courted is that if AAP is able to fulfill its promise within two months or/and is able to consolidate its position in other states too, it would certainly produce a dent in Indian politics. The way to the Parliament would be smoother than ever for AAP.
Congress has played its own moves, though poorly. By aligning with AAP, Congress can hope to come up as a party that supports clean politics. Besides showing itself as non-communal, Congress can also hope to claw back some votes it has lost. The best bet for Congress is to give such a cut-throat competition to BJP that even if BJP wins in the Lok Sabha elections, it actually turns out to be a very slim win. In that case, BJP might not be able to function efficiently, purveying scope for Congress to bounce back after 2016-17.
Anyway, the ball is largely in AAP’s court. The party is definitely on cloud nine with its sensational performance in the Delhi elections. But the big question is how long will it be able to sustain itself? If the minority government succeeds to function efficiently and AAP is able to dent the BJP in these two months, then one might even see the tides turning in favor of someone whom the political arena never thought of welcoming as winners.
About the Author
Arijit is an engineering student at University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Panjab University, Chandigarh. He is an avid content writer and is associated as a writer in the marketing department of AIESEC Chandigarh. He is also the Editor-in-chief at L@TEEN, the online newspaper module of Edurev. Moreover, he also takes keen interest in organizing activities at his institute. Being an executive member of the NGO Youth United, he has also worked as an organizing member of the event Smiling Future. He aims to be a social entrepreneur one day and work in cohesion with the people who want to be authors of a positive change in tomorrow’s world. Currently, he is working as the Associate, Planning for Alexis Centre for Public Policy and International Relations.
