What made AAP back out

PANAJI: The decision of the Aam Aadmi Party has come as a surprise to many purists, but it was among the most difficult decisions the party's state unit has had to take and one that was quite literally very hotly debated within the party itself.
Ahead of finally deciding whether to contest or not, the matter was deliberated among the party's volunteers and with the party's high command saying that the decision was left to the state unit, it was state convenor Elvis Gomes who took a final call not to contest the election.
From being among the first to insist that it was going to contest the elections, the AAP has made, in the words of its state convenor, a strategic retreat. The decision has not gone down well among the party's own volunteer base.
While the official reason for not contesting the elections has been blamed on several factors including the fact that this election is only about justifying a power grab, AAP insiders have revealed that the party was split right through the middle over whether to contest or not.
"There were essentially two camps. The biggest argument that the ‘against' camp was brandishing, what that the AAP contesting would be seen as, as well as actually result in a split in the anti BJP vote giving an advantage to the BJP and its candidate," a party insider told The Goan.
However, another section of the party countered saying that, that argument will always be around no matter which election the AAP contest as the party's very ideology was one being a third option to both the BJP and the Congress.
Things came to a head in a meeting last week, where the louder voices were those against contesting citing the fact that the party was just recovering from a costly electoral battle where it failed to win the confidence of the people and that another loss with a similar vote share would only further the idea that the party wasn't really capable of winning elections, further demoralising even its own volunteer base.
The against brigade, also cited that the party should be ‘pragmatic' and not ‘idealistic' and refrain from contesting this election, where the primary aim was to ensure the defeat of Parrikar.
That the party needed to be strengthened, was admitted by State convenor Elvis Gomes who conceded that one of the reasons the party didn't do so well at the in the last assembly elections despite fielding new faces was down to the fact that the organisation wasn't as strong at the grass root levels.
"We have already started working to strengthen the organisation from grassroots level. Now, we have decided to take more time to strengthen the party base," Gomes said.
However, on the other hand the camp that was insisting that the party would need to contest the election to show that it in reality equidistant from both the BJP and the Congress, besides the fact that the party could claim a stronger organisational base at least in Panaji than the Congress.
"Ultimately the fact that there was no unanimity was conveyed to the party's parliamentary affairs committee and the central leaders who while finally leaving it to the state unit to decide, sent back instructions that they will not be contesting unless there is unanimity," Panaji.
This coupled with the fact that the only willing candidate among the three shortlisted candidates was the recently defeated Valmiki Naik, who didn't really believe that things could turn out differently this time.
"Let the voters decide whom they want to vote for. The AAP will wait and watch," Gomes said.

-----------------------------------------------------------