If you count how many times Kejriwal became the Chief Minister and for how long, he cannot be called a failure. But in the question of what kind of political culture was established, a disappointing answer will be given, which the history will definitely do the accounting.
The aftermath of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections in India's capital province has been felt beyond India's borders. The defeat of a particular leader or party in periodic elections in a democratic country is a natural process.
However, the background of your rise and fall demands specific political analysis. Because in the Indian political arena, Kejriwal has emerged as an anti-corruption activist rather than a political leader.
Perhaps that is why social activist Anna Hazare, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, political activist Yogendra Yadav, former police officer Kiran Vedi joined this campaign. But when the movement gained success, Kejriwal announced a party to cash in on it.
Kejriwal had become the Chief Minister of Delhi by the time his aides found out the real motive. As soon as he became the chief minister, the main demand of the movement was not only overshadowed by the Jan Lokpal agenda, Kejriwal and his team leaders were arrested on charges of corruption in liquor contracts, Kejriwal himself lost the election along with important leaders in the next election. The tragedy of the anti-corruption drive is a seminal 'case study' for students of political science.
Arvind Kejriwal, who became popular by proclaiming a clean campaign against corruption, also symbolically crushed the election symbol. It created a sensation by winning 28 seats in 2013 when it contested for the first time in the 70-seat Delhi Assembly. When he was the chief minister of a minority government and resigned within 49 days because his allies, the Congress, did not allow him to work, his popularity soared.
As a result, after winning 67 seats in 2015 and 62 seats in 2020, Kejriwal established himself as the unopposed leader of Delhi. However, the fact that he was once an anti-corruption activist who did not leave the post of Chief Minister even though he was in prison on charges of corruption, made him hesitant. Perhaps that is why, the BJP, which won only 3 seats in 2015 and 8 seats in 2020, has crushed Kejriwal this year and secured two-thirds of the government with 48 seats.
Kejriwal is more of a trend in the current political theater than a person. He became the chief minister within 14 months after the formation of the party and took the metro train from the party office to Ramlila Maidan for swearing in. His commitment to living in a Maruti Suzuki Wagoner car and a two-room apartment was more a maze of cheap popularity than a vision of prosperity, anecdotal evidence.
The issue of how big a car he drives, what kind of house he lives in can be a change in his lifestyle, which does not have a particularly adverse effect on the lives of common people. However, the issue of corruption while awarding liquor contracts to him, who ran an anti-corruption campaign, is really serious. The court will deal with it in the future, but this case has made it clear that even if AAP became an alternative organization, it could not become an alternative party.
Kejriwal did not improve anything in Delhi? The fact is not so. He had given certain amount of water and electricity for free. By running 'Mohalla Clinic', he arranged for small health treatment in the neighborhood. They also succeeded in bringing back students from private schools by reforming public schools. Similarly, social welfare programs including free transport for women in government buses were also implemented. But these programs were not enough to save the image he had built himself, as voters were essentially testing him on the scale of fiscal discipline.
However, despite being jailed on corruption charges, he did not resign as chief minister, confirming that his slogans of good governance were hollow. Not only that, his Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendra Jain and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also went to jail on corruption charges. This became a context that established the narrative that AAP is a party like any other. AAP has shrunk as a result of the voter mentality of choosing whoever is chosen in a competition between similar parties.
Kejriwal was also seen as focusing on personality worship where the practice of criticism and listening could not be established. Famous for his harsh criticism of the then ruling party Congress, he led his old comrades like Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Kumar Biswas to leave the party due to internal differences. To the extent that the leadership of the party was centralized, he also presented himself as a contender for the chief ministership for the fourth time.
There was no theoretical and ideological foundation that could stand him firmly, and his commitment to good governance was weak, so his ground had become weak. The results of which have been given by the election. If you count how many times Kejriwal became the Chief Minister and for how long, he cannot be called a failure. But in the question of what kind of political culture was established, a disappointing answer will be given, which the history will definitely do the accounting.
