HT Take: What does the verdict mean for AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party and its Delhi-based leadership that remote controlled the Punjab campaign may have just frittered away the fledgling outfit's biggest chance to expand its footprint outside Delhi. For a party that nurtures national ambitions and is in a hurry to get there, the AAP seems to have made mistakes in the border state that cost it dearly. The outsider tag, failure to respect the local leadership, excessive focus on Malwa and failure to stitch an alliance with Sidhu are a few reasons why AAP failed to conquer Punjab. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, AAP had won four out of the 13 seats encashing the anti-incumbency in the state against the SAD-BJP combine.