Can the Aam Aadmi Party’s sweeping victory in Delhi election be a spring-board for the party in Goa? How far is this win a morale booster for their Goa unit headed by Elvis Gomes? Or is this win only going to be used to prove that AAP is not the BJP Team B in Goa?
Well, there are more significant lessons to learn for not only the local AAP but also parties across the spectrum. The result only debunks the theory that Opposition can be decimated by political mudslinging and high-pitched sloganeering, a trend that has caught on in poll campaigns in recent times.
The Delhi narrative has been distinctly different. It has proved that all the rhetoric put forth by the combine of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah and the battery of around 200 MPs that pitched in armoured with government machinery, failed miserably. The CAA talk of nationalism, the screaming of Shaheen Bagh politics and all the hate speeches on the lines of ‘Goli Maro’ fell flat.
For the AAP to withstand a barrage of attacks and come through all of it unscathed speaks volumes about its performance. Winning a chunk of Hindu-dominated seats and the Muslim-majority seats go to show the AAP success spans beyond communal politics.
So what was AAP’s recipe for success? It was smart politicking that saw Kejriwal change gears toning down aggression and refusing to bite the BJP bait. On the flip side, AAP purely relied on its performance to take them home. The reforms in the education sector, subsidized electricity supply, free water supply to households, improved transportation, the globally-recognized mohalla clinics, free medicines and checkups blunted all Opposition onslaught.
The Delhi result will set the BJP thinking because the halo over Modi is fading in States going by the string of defeats in recent times. Delhi is the third successive defeat after losing Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Assembly results suggest that the ‘mitron’ brand is not working and States are no longer buying the national narrative.
The Delhi win is about the Aam Aadmi Party and the common man. It’s time for politicos to realize that the development mantra which is so commonly used in Goa and elsewhere may not hold good when the ordinary citizen is struggling for basic necessities of life like water and power supply.
The Goa unit of AAP cannot use the Delhi success only to prove its identity in the State. On the contrary, Elvis and his team need to head back to the drawing board and rework strategies. AAP lacks the fire and needs a complete makeover if it is serious about 2022 elections. Replicating the Delhi model in Goa is not going to be easy given the limitations the party has in the State.
