New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was trounced in the Delhi Assembly elections last year. The BJP cruised to victory and returned to power after 27 years. Arvind Kejriwal’s party was in power for a decade. But it could secure only 22 seats in 2025, far below 67 seats that it won in the 2015 elections.
Corruption charges levelled against AAP leaders went a long way in scripting the downfall of the party and its leaders. The poll loss was attributed to widespread corruption in the party. However, on Friday, the party got a huge relief when the Rouse Avenue court discharged the former Delhi chief minister and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the 2022 Delhi excise policy case.
MCD elections
It was major victory for the party. The court ruling has come at a time when AAP was down in the dumps and was its future looked bleak. So, the question doing the rounds is: can the latest verdict boost fortunes of AAP in the forthcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections in 2027?
Even though it’s premature to speculate anything, experts say the Friday court order is an ideological victory for AAP, which has always called itself a group of honest leaders for the commoners. When Kejriwal said “I am kattar imaandaar“, he was trying to project the core philosophy of the party. But will this narrative around anti-corruption and total transparency give the party the impetus it badly needs ahead of elections? Will it help AAP reclaim the lost ground before the MCD polls? Will the public repose their trust one again on AAP and revive its poll hopes?
The public is already weighing the work done by the Rekha Gupta-led BJP government in Delhi in the last one year. Much of the MCD election results will hinge on how the voters feel about the governance. The AAP has a tough task to restore the damage done and get back its credibility. For this, a groundwork is required. AAP has to devise a new poll plank — and ensure that it draws public attention for the right reasons.
Last year, the AAP had held a meeting, stating that it has shifted into mission mode for the 2027 MCD elections, and was setting its sights on forming a huge majority in the civic body. To get a majority, all its party workers and leaders will keep their ears to the ground.
Other state polls
AAP also has its political footprint in Punjab, Gujarat, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Goa. The party is in power in Punjab, while in Gujarat it is the third-largest party. Over the next two years, Assembly elections are due in Gujarat, Punjab, Goa and Himachal Pradesh. Kejriwal can leverage the clean chit from the Rouse Avenue Court in these elections. In Punjab, where Assembly elections are due next year, AAP can win again, boosted by the verdict of Friday. The party may show the court ruling to validate its anti-corruption image and call on the voters to give their mandate in their favour.
In Gujarat, Goa and Himachal Pradesh, the court verdict is likely to help AAP in spreading its footprint. However, much will depend on how it reaches out to the public and sets its narrative on local issues.