With the recommendation of re-election in his resignation letter, Arvind Kejriwal has, in a way, unleashed the next set of dreams for his little more than a year-old party.
For one, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has claimed it would return with absolute majority in case of re-polls for the Delhi assembly, and second - more popular - is the increased possibility that Kejriwal himself will contest the Lok Sabha polls.
Read:Kejriwal may lead Lok Sabha campaign for AAP
“The party volunteers have already started comparing Kejriwal with (Narendra) Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. Even if top leaders may claim Kejriwal’s contest may not make a difference, the party’s prospects will definitely get a huge boost if he becomes the face of the party for LS campaign,” claimed a party leader.
During both the assembly re-polls and the Lok Sabha elections, the party’s “sacrifice” for the Jan Lokpal will be exploited along with the AAP government’s “achievements” during its 49-day rule.
Read:Kejriwal hits and runs, pulls plug on own govt after failing to table jan lokpal bill
“We are not here for posts, we are here to bring change, to give the power back to the people. BJP Congress are trying their best to stop us,” Kejriwal said in his parting speech in the Assembly.
Not just the failure to table the Jan Lokpal Bill in the assembly, the AAP government’s “daring steps” to order FIRs against a high-profile industrialist and union ministers in the alleged gas scam too will help the party in drumming up support, leaders feel.
Read:Anticipating polls, Cong to ‘expose’ AAP
The party’s plans for Delhi too are clear. Said a party leader, “Congress and BJP cheated the people of Delhi by colluding against the Jan Lokpal. Their stand on corruption became crystal clear. People watched it on TV.”
Not just the failure to table the Jan Lokpal Bill in the assembly, the AAP government’s “daring steps” to order FIRs against a high-profile industrialist and union ministers in the alleged gas scam too will help the party in drumming up support, leaders feel.
Read:Anticipating polls, Cong to ‘expose’ AAP
The party’s plans for Delhi too are clear. Said a party leader, “Congress and BJP cheated the people of Delhi by colluding against the Jan Lokpal. Their stand on corruption became crystal clear. People watched it on TV.”
Sanjay Singh, party’s national executive member, tweeted: “Ab Dilli ki janata Vidhan Sabha me apne 70 sewak bhejegi aur ik bhi vote janlokpal k khilaf nahi padega #cong BJP aur 40 bhai bahar honge (sic) - loosely translated, Delhiites will return its 70 servants and not let a single vote go against the Jan Lokpal. Congress and BJP’s 40 will be thrown out.”
Read:For Kejriwal & Co, it is just the exit they had scripted
The AAP had won 28 seats while the BJP-Akali Dal combine had won 32 seats. After BJP stepped aside citing lack of numbers, the AAP formed the government with the outside support of the Congress.
The party believes, Delhiites will take home Kejriwal’s pronouncement: “I will give up the chief minister’s office not once, but 1000 times to fight against corruption.”
Read:I tried to work honestly, says Kejriwal
Full Coverage: Arvind Kejriwal, a common man in politics
HT asks the following questions to understand the political impact of Kejriwal's decision to quit as Delhi CM.