A few years ago, the AamAadmi Party (AAP) had literally no political presence. However, today, it has emerged at a strong political contender for the Lok Sabha elections to be held this year, posing a threat to both the Congress and the BJP. The party’s continuous success indicates the present mindset of Indian voters who long for a government that is corruption free and transparent.
Most of AAP’s success is attributed to a group of enthusiastic techies from the Silicon Valley who have joined hands at offering a technology platform for one of the possible solutions to doing away with the country’s rotted system for good. This has proved to be AAP’s strategic weapon in connecting with the masses and attracting funds from local as well as international funders. This techie group consists of nearly 200 individuals who have developed back end systems via open source software programs to build a database of supporters as well as funders.
One of the members of the group, PranKurup who happens to be the CEO of Vitalect handles the digital content for the AAP, including websites, photographs, descriptions, etc. along with other techies, many of whom have even ditched their lucrative careers to work towards the dream of a corruption free nation. Others have decided to enter the electoral foray by contesting for parliamentary seats in several regions.
However, not everyone seems to be impressed by the AAP’s magic numbers. Many feel that AAP would not be able to power the nation to a high-growth plan, what with their plans of providing free water and electricity hurting an already deficit fiscal system. Some even point out that these measures would benefit the middle class and not the lower class.
These individuals believe that BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Mr. Narendra Modi would have a better chance of taking India’s growth to the next possible level. Critics however, express their apprehensions about Modi’s ability to transform the whole of India into Gujarat, especially if his party does not win a majority in the upcoming elections.
The AAP has risen from behind the stands to become a strong competitor to both the BJP and Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. AAP has a strong support base in the form of several dedicated techies in the Silicon Valley who have dedicated their time, efforts and even careers to set up a strong technology platform for the party.
While many feel that the AAP would rid the country off corruption and help its economy grow, others believe that BJP candidate Narendra Modi would be better at helming the nation’s economic growth.
