Punjab Election Results 2017: Arvind Kejriwal, an opportunity missed

AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal's political profile

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Photo: PTI

Last Updated : Mar 12 2017 | 1:22 AM IST

Soon after the Punjab election results were out, the Congress’ chief ministerial candidate, Amarinder Singh, said, “I think he is a summer storm. He came and he’s gone.” Singh was referring to Delhi Chief Minister and leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal. Many expected AAP to win in Punjab or a very close second. The numbers are far from it, with AAP at 20 against the Congress’ 77 seats.

With this defeat, the former Indian Revenue Service officer may not be “gone’’ yet, but he’s lost a big chance of coming into national politics. Poll pundits had forecast that Kejriwal’s party would prove to be a challenger to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat this year and Karnataka next year, and perhaps in the Lok Sabha election in 2019. The Punjab verdict is seen as a setback to AAP in attaining its pan-Indian political goal.

Kejriwal posted a message on his Twitter account, saying, janta ka faisla sar maathe pe (I respect the decision of the people). The 48-year-old IIT Kharagpur alumnus may not have given away the measure of his disappointment in that social media statement, but the silence at the AAP headquarters in Delhi showed the mood in the party.

A late beginner in politics, Kejriwal cannot afford to lose more time to emerge in the national scene. He would do well to strike the right balance between electoral politics and good governance, analysts said. It may not be a bad idea to keep aside his agitator persona for a while and focus on policies, they pointed out. Whether its PM Narendra Modi or former lieutenant governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, Kejriwal has been engaged in several public spats with prominent personalities.

There’s another view however that Kejriwal’s aggression, especially in backing social causes, sets him apart in the political scene. AAP’s landslide win in the February 2015 Delhi elections showed that. The party won 67 out of 70 seats two years ago, and Kejriwal was probably looking for a similar verdict in Punjab as well. It didn’t work.