New Delhi: The bi-polar polity of Delhi has been shaken vigorously by the entry of a wannabe riding on anti-corruption and clean governance plank. With humongous corruption and policy paralysis plaguing India, the ray of hope offered by a leader who is seen as unlikeliest of the politicians has the potential of throwing out the big and well-entrenched parties who have been ruling the country till now.
After coming into national spotlight during the Jan Lokpal agitation of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, the 1989 IIT Kharagpur graduate Arvind Kejriwal who went on to join the Indian Revenue Service only to quit and plunge into social service aims to turn the massive antipathy towards the ruling class in his favour.
The unassuming Kejriwal is single-handedly striving to rewrite the political discourse during Delhi Assembly elections. With the broom as its symbol, the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party promises to clean up corruption and tainted politicians and usher in an era of good governance.
Campaigning for Delhi elections came to an end on Monday 5 pm and voting for the 70-member Assembly will take place on December 4. While the Congress is aiming to win for the fourth consecutive term, Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping to tap into the anger against corruption, price rise and poor governance to regain power after 15 years.
But for Kejriwal-led AAP and his band of idealist followers the elections represent a historic opportunity to upset the applecart of both the Congress and BJP, and show India that politics is a game that can also be played fairly.
The AAP has already succeeded in capturing the imagination of the national capital and got massive response in its campaign from the youngsters, middle class and the lower strata of the society. All opinion polls predict a very show by the fledging outfit that will hurt both Congress and BJP.
Kejriwal who is the star campaigner for his party and has campaigned non-stop for the last couple of months for all his candidates believes that people of Delhi have a golden chance to change their fortune. While he says that he never had any plans of entering politics but adds that the murky world cannot be changed without plunging into it, a move that led to differences with his mentor Anna Hazare.
Even though Hazare disassociated himself from Kejriwal's AAP, the B.Tech from IIT-KGP decided to tread a thorny path full of potholes.
Relying on street corner meetings, door-to-door campaign, smart and effective use of Internet and social media, AAP has certainly made a mark for itself and forced the two national parties take notice.
While both Congress and BJP have been dismissive of the AAP influence in Delhi, Kejriwal's high voltage campaign has ensured that his party is the most talked about by the common public as well as political pundits alike.
Dressed in a simple shirt and pant with a Gandhi topi that has slogans like "main hoo aam aadmi" (I am a common man), "mujhe Swaraj chahiye" (I want self rule) and its election symbol broom printed on it, Kejriwal has started a revolution that has the potential of sweeping off established leaders into oblivion.
A clean image, which can be one of the biggest advantages in present times, is AAP's biggest strength and its candidates too claim to follow the ideals set by Kejriwal.
But the big challenge for Kejriwal is to ensure that the crowd seen at his rallies and claiming to support him come out on December 4 and press the button next to the broom symbol on EVMS across Delhi.
With no big names, Kejriwal and his close aides have to convert the support that is visible on the streets into votes and convert the vote share into seats. The party will also have to get the vote out of potential supporters on voting day and have an efficient booth management team.
All AAP candidates are young, fresh faced and first timers. Therefore several people have questioned if they are bankable and is the AAP a bankable political alternative yet?
AAP will have also to break the caste and community stranglehold over politics that play a very crucial role in deciding the outcome of several seats. The has raised expectation levels and their every move will be scrutinised, a case of point being the recent sting operation against its candidates which gave enough ammunition to its rivals to allege that Team Kejriwal is no different despite its claims.
Moreover, many AAP volunteers are from outside Delhi and do not have a vote in the city. They also have very little idea of Delhi's caste and community calculations. Another factor that is very important is how many from the middle class, not a very enthusiastic participant in the electoral process, come out to vote. While they may be very active on social media, AAP needs to make sure that middle class' antipathy towards politicians comes to and end and a large number of them come out on December 4 in its support.
All eyes will on Kejriwal when EVMs are opened for counting on December 8 and if he delivers what he has been claiming, India will see the birth of a new dawn, a new leader and a new and clean way of doing politics.
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