A good many political observers have expressed surprise at the defeat of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi. A lot of discussion in media has taken place on the causes of the defeat. Suggestions as well as speculations have been thrown aplenty on the future course of action Kejriwal might embrace. Since Delhi elections happening in the capital of the country draw almost global attention, the results merit such deep and widespread reactions.

Somewhat I am surprised that observers referred above are wondering about the election results, namely the crushing defeat of AAP including at constituency of Kejriwal. It would serve the purpose of our analysis if we remember the famous words of George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". Kejriwal had wrested power from Congress in 2013 by himself defeating Shiela Dixit then Chief Minister of Delhi for three consecutive terms. His main campaign plank was then ‘corruption’ indulged in by Congress. Remember also the launch of a campaign group called IAC – India against Corruption – which dramatically transformed into a popular mass movement for Lokpal led by veteran campaigner Anna Hazare. In turn, it catapulted Kejriwal into the position of Chief Minister of Delhi.
Now to quote Karl Marx who had said, “History repeats itself”, Kejriwal loses his own election, after three consecutive terms albeit the first one being short, to Parvesh Verma who is, at the time of writing, tipped to be the CM. Second development that validates Karl Marx’s statement that Kejriwal himself and his cabinet colleagues were embroiled in corruption charges, mainly the liquor scam. Although the courts are yet to give their final verdict, Kejriwal in his own characteristic way left it to the judgement of the people in the last election. He had offered it to the people to decide whether he was guilty of corruption or not. This was a populist stance. How could people decide on a complex charge like corruption without having any investigative instrument at hand? People in a democracy decide on the basis of perceptions. So they have in the last election.
That said, I am inclined to believe that corruption was an issue in this election. Corruption, although degree may defer from one party to another, is commonplace in Indian politics. Kejriwal’s defeat was on cards. In the absence of opinion polls, it was not obvious to the public that such a result will ensue. But the discerning observers could read the writing on the wall. Reasons for defeat, in my understanding are as follows.
Kejriwal had continuous run-ins with the Lt Governor who is the actual head of Delhi govt. The LG knew it and Kejriwal also knew his constitutional limitations. Instead of making this structural legal hurdle as a public issue in order to privilege the elected government, he continued to fight with the LG and expected people to support it. His campaign streak persisted even after he became the Chief Minister. It is one thing to protest, demonstrate and agitate in the opposition. But in the government, you are supposed to deliver to the people. Let us remember that Delhi is not a full state. The Delhi Assembly is a deliberative and suggestion making body. The final decision on a host of issues is left to the LG. Kejriwal could have made it clear to the people and laid out the full statehood of Delhi as a campaign plank.
The consequence of unabated friction between the CM and the LG disrupted the services to the people of Delhi: the condition of the roads, cleaning of garbage, clearing water logging, cleaning of Yamuna River, the living conditions in slums, employment opportunities and above all, the acute pollution in Delhi. The air quality hardly improved during the entire tenure of Kejriwal. One cannot put the entire blame on AAP govt, but they bagged this criticism as they claimed to own the government which actually they did not. The air quality has been so bad that, reportedly, out of 160 embassies in Delhi, around 90 diplomats have rued the fact that it is unliveable in Delhi from November to February. The second reason for the defeat is the increasing hiatus between Kejriwal’s promise and actions. For instance, to demonstrate his simplicity and frugality, his Cabinet went by metro to the swearing-in to Ramlila Ground. He ended up building his own residence at the cost of 45 cr. This was ridiculous. The incoming BJP government is threatening to expose Kejriwal’s opulence by opening the Shishmahal to the public. The initiatives on health and education were innovative and not worthy. But the delivery on the ground, in terms of quality of education and supply of healthcare has been scanty. My development organisation has interviewed the kids studying in government schools. It has found that the level of their education is dismally poor. A sixth standard student could not do the basic sums or write his full name and address correctly either in Hindi or English. Then we decided to open charity schools called Extra School to enhance their quality.
Similar was the case in healthcare. Mohalla clinics which were touted as the model healthcare system were desperately short of medicines and doctors. One of the doctors working in Mohalla clinic testified to this state of affairs. On corruption, although it was not a decisive issue in the election, it was rampant across the sectors and the state. For an initial few months since 2013, the traffic police abstained from taking bribes. Thereafter, it became a routine as before or even more. The cleanliness, the water supply, the distribution of electricity became appalling. The power cuts became routine. The water pipes were leaking in most urban villages yet the supply was patchy.
India has begun to boast as a world power. So be it. But the capital of the country is one of the worst polluted, unorganised and unclean cities in the world. All these under the nose of about 200 foreign missions station in India. Is that an authentic message Delhi sends out? The Opposition disunity is another story. Observers argue that if Congress and AAP fought jointly, they would have won 12 more seats which would have given them the majority. It is again a miscalculation. Votes do not add up arithmetically, they do in chemistry. The alliance between AAP and Congress would have been less than their components as it happens in chemical reaction.
A final word. The opposition including AAP may claim the high-handedness of BJP, misuse of government machinery and authoritarian streaks etc. But the verdict of the people in an election legitimises power. And the people of Delhi have voted.

Email:-------------------------dr.dkgiri@gmail.com