The muffler man has arrived and how! In what one can consider as a tit for tat for the BJP who had enjoyed a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections back in May 2014, the Aam Aadmi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal managed to grab 67 of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly elections. As the AAP gets ready to form the government at the capital, we explore four reasons that helped the party surge ahead of its strongest competitor, the BJP.
Overconfident BJP
The 7-0 victory it enjoyed in the Lok Sabha elections had made the BJP overconfident and hence, complacent about the assembly polls in Delhi. While the party waited it out and took its own sweet time to organize things, the AAP had already started its campaign and started wooing voters with earnest. As such, by the time the BJP actually showed interest in contesting the polls, the AAP and Kejriwal had surged miles ahead in terms of its candidates and manifesto declaration. This clearly showed the voter who meant business in the Delhi.
The 10 Lakh Suit Vs The Muffler
Image Source : Indiatoday.In
India’s republic day this year garnered a lot of interest not only for its extravagant show, but for Modi’s suit which had his name embroidered all over it. Soon reports of the suit being custom made and costing 10 lakh started doing the rounds, along with questions of how exactly Modi paid for it. Compare that with Kejriwal who resembles the quintessential common man with his simple attire and trademark muffler. Perceptions truly count and the AAP scored big in this criteria.
Kejriwal’s Public Apology
Image Source : TheHindu.In
The AAP had not put on a good show after winning the Delhi elections last time. However, unlike other politicians who put the blame on others and simply refrain from commenting about their involvement in the issues, Kejriwal came out in the open and apologized for his party’s failure in public. This struck a chord with voters who decided to give the sincere candidate another shot at the CM position.
Muslims prefer AAP
Modi still has trouble with Muslim vote banks, a factor that played to the AAP’s advantage. The last Delhi elections saw the Muslim vote bank divided between the AAP and Congress. However, with the Congress’ s image tarnished, the remaining Muslims jumped on the AAP bandwagon to oppose BJP, thus assuring the party of an easy win.
Summary
The AAP has created history by trouncing the BJP in the recently concluded Delhi assembly elections. The four factors mentioned above summarize the reason behind the BJP’s as well as Modi’s failure in the nation’s capital.
