Five-state poll results rejection of BJP’s policies, says AAP

Ananya Panda

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 11

The AAP, whose candidates on Tuesday forfeited their deposits in Chhattisgarh, MP and Rajasthan Assembly elections, has clearly got the inkling of peril of spreading too thin during the 2019 general elections, notwithstanding the party downplayed its performance while terming the results of the five-state Assembly polls as an indicator of an “anti-BJP mood”.

Going by the readings of the AAP, results of the these polls is a “rejection” of the BJP-led government at the Centre, its “arrogance”, its policies and something that largely points at how regional players are going to determine the sway of the 2019 general elections in a big way.

Interestingly, “no mention” of the Congress in the evening by AAP minister Gopal Rai while talking to reporters after a meeting with party workers shows the party’s subtle softening of its stance towards the Congress, at least, as far as being united under an opposition umbrella is concerned for the 2019 general polls.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy  Manish Sisodia claimed the Modi government will be dislodged from power in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections saying that the writing is clear on the wall. “The countdown of (Narendra) Modi-rule has begun,” Kejriwal tweeted.

Sisodia took a dig at the Prime Minister and the BJP’s oft referred 2014 election slogan “Achhe din aanewale hain (Good days are coming)”.

“The BJP and its policies have been rejected. People are angry and shunned its arrogance. The whole hype created around development reforms has been burst. The results are good for the country,” AAP general secretary Pankaj Gupta told the Tribune.

The AAP conveniently downplayed the wins of the Congress, its other major political opponent, in all the three states where its own candidates lost their deposits.

Former AAP leader Mayank Gandhi, who claimed AAP’s vote-share to be 0.9 per cent in Chattisgarh, 0.6 per cent in MP and 0.3 per cent in Rajasthan, tweeted, “If AAP had not compromised Kejriwal could have been an alternative to Modi.” “Come back to the original principles. Stop caste, communal vote bank politics. Stop corruption. Become the AAP that we had created,” he added.

Party insiders told the Tribune that the AAP is actually wary of the resurgence of the Congress in the second round of state elections prompting it to invigorate its campaign in-run-up-to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The party today decided to initiate a 'people-contact' programme on December 14 for the Lok Sabha elections.