Samikhsya Bureau
Assembly elections in Delhi should and must standout itself as the mask of the country. The situation there for Arvind Kejriwal has remained a gigantic one taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party after the latter’s resounding comeback under Narendra Modi.
Yet, defeating the saffron in 2014 was no mere feat for party, yet in its nascence, then, regardless of the government’s short stint of 49 days when its supporter, the Congress withdrew it. Congress is always known being a habitual carpet puller.
In the opinion poll conducted by an agency, indications tilt heavily on Kejriwal’s side for a comfortable comeback in 2020.
Naveen Patnaik-Kejriwal duo deserve a pat for their nerves
A cursory throwback reveal that, the roads made themselves by both Patnaik & Kejriwal were no easy task. More so, because both the leaders have been able to surprise some political theorists and disputants by their ability to take on the might of the BJP, under Modi, when it was all saffron and everywhere.
In 2014 Naveen outsmarted the saffron brigade despite a real and caustic electoral blitzkrieg against him by the BJP.
Similarly, in 2014, just out from the Anna movement and without even rehearsing much for the most complex traits of politics, Kejriwal landed a blow on the face of BJP and became a CM outclassing the regime in Delhi notwithstanding that it collapsed soon.
When the media branded him as a political outcast.
And from there only Kejriwal, perhaps, started learning from his mistakes; from being a garrulous critic of all, to a man who aimed to deliver.
No political pariah
He tried to get seasoned in the pan of time to emerge as one celebrated figures to brow-beat the BJP when the latter was at its peak of popularity and power under Modi, in 2015, Aap bagged 67 seats of the total 70 in Delhi.
That was a thunder that shook the saffron citadel in the national capital for some time and yet the latter has certain reasons to be pessimistic about the mild tremors underneath .
2019 was yet another tall order for the Odisha government under Naveen, as he was taking on a leader like Modi, unmatched , politically stimulating and fascinating in contemporary politics. A real combo of political firepower, dramatics and discourses.
But, Naveen remained stuck to his own style of political appropriations and, as the only man, up against a litany of political enemies within and out, BJD romped back home dealing a lethal blow on the BJP’s face in Odisha.
Patnaik even didn’t blink for once when the graphs showed the saffron brigade with its allies climbing up in rest of the country.
It is past 2019, and Kejriwal is back with his guts intact to relocate his place of relevance. Bad climate, rising graph of incidents of crime against women and now a spectre of the citizenship riddles looming over, Kejriwal still sports the hope to knock the BJP out of the ring.
If the opinion polls are any indication, then Aam Admi Party has a reason to smile. He has to be careful that, it is going to be a deal with the most politically conscious voter of the country and make sure that, he is not slipping into the political hypocrisy he had once.
