Bad Politics and Poorly Crafted Freebies
For Kejriwal, today marks an existential crisis. He has not only lost his own seat in the Delhi elections but also seen his party, AAP, lose its political dominance in the capital.
While the controversy over his Sheshmahal residence was the final nail in AAP’s defeat, the downfall began two years ago when he manipulated Delhi’s liquor policy to generate funds for election campaigns in other states. This gamble paid off in Punjab but failed in Haryana, Goa, and other regions. The liquor policy changes eventually turned into a full-blown scam, overshadowing any good work he had done and even landing him in jail.
Kejriwal had promised to clean up Delhi, but instead, he prioritized distributing freebies like free electricity, water, and other benefits to the rapidly growing migrant population. This drained state resources, leaving no funds for crucial issues that mattered to the middle class, such as improving roads, infrastructure, garbage disposal, and cleaning the Yamuna River. As a result, he lost their support. Meanwhile, the poor, who had once been his strongest voter base, abandoned him after revelations about his extravagant residence.
The BJP, on the other hand, secured victory and even performed well among Muslim voters, as AAP’s corruption-tainted administration failed to inspire confidence.
Time will tell if Kejriwal has the ideological foundation or financial resources to stage a comeback. However, with a weak ideology and a depleted war chest, his chances of bouncing back seem uncertain.
The winner BJP won even did well with the Muslim vote as scam tainted administration did not excite them.
Time will tell if he has any ideology and money for him to bounce back. With loose ideology and lack of money may prevent him bouncing back.