The spectacular victory of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab politics has not only changed the political picture of the state, but has also raised many serious questions for the traditional political parties. Behind this spectacular success of AAP was a well-planned and realistic electoral campaign strategy, which was away from any kind of exaggeration. So what was it that awakened the imagination of the voters of Punjab in such a way that they sidelined all the big political parties and gave a decisive mandate in favor of AAP Traditional
Bhagwant Mann – emerging as the hero of the people
The biggest hero of this victory was Bhagwant Mann. While in 2017 the party had avoided declaring the chief ministerial face, this time Arvind Kejriwal clearly declared Bhagwant Mann as the chief ministerial face of the party. This also ended the apprehension that if AAP comes to power in Punjab, an outsider will run the government.
Though Bhagwant Mann had once faced criticism for his alcohol habits, he projected himself as a clean and corruption-free person in this election. This image attracted the people of the state immensely.
The call for ‘change’ got support
The party prominently put forward the slogan ‘Log Badlaav Chahte Hain’ throughout its campaign. This narrative of ‘change’ resonated in the minds of the people amidst the serious problems of sacrilege incidents and rising drug abuse prevailing in the state.
The people of Punjab were frustrated and angry over these issues for the last several years. The traditional parties — Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) etc. — had failed to solve these problems. Neither the drug trade was stopped nor the culprits of the insult to the faith were punished. These emotional issues provided a great opportunity to AAP. He had no past political baggage or bad reputation, and he promised to solve these problems.
Lessons from 2017 mistakes
In 2017, AAP made the mistake of soft romance with militants in Punjab. At that time Arvind Kejriwal went to spend the night at the house of a former militant, which created the impression that the party was getting closer to separatists and extremists. This alienated the Hindu voters of the state.
This time when Kejriwal’s former aide Kumar Vishwas again accused him of being a ‘pro-extremist’, even then AAP and Kejriwal did not make any noise in response. Instead the party remained focused on its election campaign, which did not harm its credibility.
Effect of Delhi model
In this election, AAP presented the same development model in Punjab that it had implemented in the field of education and health in Delhi. This model appealed to the general public. The party also promised cash sops for women in its manifesto, which was successful in attracting women voters.
Unemployment, corruption and mafia rule have long been major issues of the public in Punjab. The focus of the party’s election campaign under the leadership of Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann was to root out these problems and free the state from sand and liquor mafia. The party also promised to use the revenue generated from these mafias in development projects.
Congress’ suicidal strategy
The fall of the Congress party in Punjab was largely the result of its own wrong decisions. When the elections were just around the corner, the party changed its own chief minister. After this, the party high command failed to control the serious infighting among the top leaders – Navjot Singh Sidhu, Charanjit Singh Channi and others This led to a division in the Congress workers and its vote bank. AAP got the direct benefit of this division.
Warning for traditional parties
This victory of AAP has sent a message to traditional political parties that the public is now fed up with old promises and failures. The big shift in Punjab came about because of what the public hoped for and felt instead of being driven by one person.
The parties should know the mood of the public and work on changes at a basic level if they want to survive. If not, AAP and similar options can take the place of these legacy banks in no time.
Conclusion
The fact that Aam Aadmi Party won in Punjab was not by chance. It was the result of public anger, desire for change, desire to raise voice against corruption and mafia and hope for a positive development model. Bhagwant Mann’s simple image, Arvind Kejriwal’s mature leadership and the party’s practical announcements were the main pillars of this success.
Now it remains to be seen whether AAP will be able to live up to the expectations of the public by putting its promises on the ground. If yes, then it can change the direction of politics not only in Punjab but also in other states of the country.
