Why Kejriwal would be smiling over Maharashtra and Jharkhand results

The recent assembly election results in Maharashtra and Jharkhand have offered a unique silver lining for Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), even as the BJP-led NDA and the INDIA bloc ended with a score of 1-1. With Delhi’s assembly elections on the horizon, Kejriwal is likely to draw strategic insights from these results to secure a third consecutive term in the capital.
If there’s one name synonymous with welfare-driven electoral strategies, it’s Arvind Kejriwal. From free electricity and water in his early campaigns to free bus rides for women and free Wi-Fi, Kejriwal has crafted a unique template of governance. Maharashtra’s ‘Ladli Behen Yojana’ and Jharkhand’s welfare programs, which propelled their respective ruling alliances to victory, are likely to validate Kejriwal’s approach. These results might bolster his confidence in pushing similar voter-centric policies to win Delhi yet again.
Despite alliances in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, Congress continues to struggle on its own. In Delhi, AAP and Congress have parted ways after a failed Lok Sabha tie-up. Kejriwal is expected to use Congress’ inability to challenge the BJP effectively as a rallying point to consolidate anti-BJP votes, projecting AAP as the only viable alternative.
While AAP has never won a Lok Sabha seat in Delhi, its assembly performance has been stellar. The Maharashtra results, where the NDA overturned the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s strong Lok Sabha showing, hint that assembly elections can yield drastically different outcomes. Kejriwal will likely use this trend to reassure his supporters that past Lok Sabha results in Delhi won’t dictate the February assembly elections.
The Aam Aadmi Party faced lackluster results in Punjab during the Lok Sabha elections, and the party was grappling with challenges on multiple fronts. However, after Arvind Kejriwal’s release from jail, he took it upon himself to steer Punjab back on track. This effort was evident in the results of the recent Punjab assembly by-elections.
The victory in Punjab is significant not only because it revitalises AAP’s cadre but also because it injects much-needed energy into the party ahead of the Delhi assembly elections. Additionally, the Punjab results have once again reaffirmed Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership capabilities.