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AAP struggles to find foothold in Himachal, banks heavily on ‘Kejri magic’
Kejriwal’s Kangra rally also drew a large crowd. However, on the organisational front, the party has not been able to maintain the momentum
After its spectacular victory in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), looking for new frontiers to conquer and expand its footprint, announced its arrival in the political landscapes of Himachal Pradesh with an impressive roadshow led by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann at Mandi in April.
Kejriwal’s Kangra rally also drew a large crowd. However, on the organisational front, the party has not been able to maintain the momentum.
It got its first jolt when its then state president Anoop Kesri announced joining the BJP, a day after the Mandi roadshow. The party dissolved its entire state unit and its senior leaders took matter into their hands with Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain taking the charge of state election.
In the beginning, a lot of young people joined the AAP, most of them from the CPIM, as the rigid communist leader was not ready to hand over the reins. They were popular in their respective areas and had the experience of contesting elections.
Months later, they are either seen quietly leaving the party or taking the backstage after not getting the push they were hoping for.
In between, the arrest of Satyendar by ED dealt another blow to the AAP’s Himachal dream.
The party recently appointed Surjeet Thakur as its state president, who was not known among the political circles until now. Surjeet, a low-profile worker in the party, is known for his unquestioned loyalty towards the AAP bigwigs in Delhi and his devotion to the party.
“It’s the party of a common man. We do things as per the aspiration and desires of the common man. The AAP does not entertain people who offer to join the party with conditions. We are keen to revolutionise the politics in Himachal,” said Surjeet.
The biggest challenge the party now faces is the lack of a credible face to lead its campaign in Himachal. So far, bigwigs from the Congress and the BJP have stayed away from the AAP.
Former minister and Congress leader Vijay Singh Mankotia, who is known for his outburst against the political bigwigs in the state, initially held talks with AAP leaders but later backed out. Similarly, former Lok Sabha member Rajan Shushant, who has been known for revolting against former CMs Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar, was visible in AAP’s function in Shimla that was presided over by Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, but is not active now. Former DGP ID Bhandari had initially been at the forefront of AAP’s campaign, but now is just on the backstage.
There is a growing perception among the local AAP’s workers that leaders from Delhi are more active. “Everything is being remotely controlled from Delhi. How will the local workers and leaders have a say among the people when they are being sidelined while planning party’s programmes?” asked a senior AAP worker, requesting anonymity.
Besides, he said, it is also not able to counter the misconception among the rural folks about the AAP being a pro-Khalistan party. In some pockets, this sentiment against the AAP is very strong, he added.
“In Himachal, the political sway is between the Congress and the BJP. The AAP, meanwhile, is only branding Delhi Model, knowing that the Capital’s topography and demography are different from Himachal. They are just trying to create a hype,” said Congress media incharge Naresh Chauhan.
Focus on education, other issues sidetracked
The AAP has made education its main poll plank in the state while ignoring issues like unemployment, crisis in the rural economy and bad road infrastructure among others.
The party has no action plan to tackle unemployment which for the time being is the biggest problem in the state. There are more than 10 lakh jobless youth in the state.
AAP’s spokesperson Gaurav Sharma, however, said, “All these years, both the Congress and the BJP have only given issues to the people. Delhi is a fine example of good governance and now things are being replicated in Punjab.”
Untrained cadres for political campaigning
After facing a string of defections, the party dissolved its state unit. Now, it has restructured the organisation from the scratch with over 700 office-bearers.
The party claims that it has more than five lakh members in the state. But the problem lies with untrained cadres and novice officer-bearers, who have very less experience in the political campaigning.
