Emergence of AAP signifies change, says Pakistani daily

The emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) vis a vis the traditional Indian political parties like the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Delhi assembly elections signifies a change, said a leading Pakistani daily Tuesday.

In an editorial, the Dawn newspaper said the state elections in India re-established the growing assertive presence of the middle class in politics.

"The Aam Aadmi Party has emerged as a force by securing a large number of seats in Delhi, containing the Congress but also denting the BJP. It appears that a sizeable number of Indian voters locate the reasons for political malfunctioning in the system itself, beyond the incompetence and corrupt practices of a single political party," the editorial said.

"The Indian state elections re-establish the growing assertive presence of the middle class in politics and the focus this involvement places on 'middle-class' issues, the most prominent among them being corruption," it added.

The daily said the performance of the BJP in the state elections has boosted its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's chances in the 2014 general elections.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party has captured Rajasthan, has retained Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and is now the single largest party in Delhi. This boosts Narendra Modi as 'the' candidate for the prime ministerial office in the general elections next summer," it said.