The recent legislative elections in Delhi proved that political parties cannot take people for granted. The people of Delhi chose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which promised a good and corruption free governance. Hence, they handed out a decisive mandate with an absolute majority to AAP to govern Delhi for the next five years. The victory of AAP only shows that people are tired of divisive politics based on religious lines and public mudslinging between rival political parties.
For a change, the people chose a government that was very clear with their intentions for the development and betterment of Delhi and its people. The strategy that worked for AAP was that they chose not to talk about the failings of their rivals but emphasised on what they could do for the people of Delhi if they came to power. Arvind Kejriwal has changed the game and has brought in a new kind of politics to India, one that is transparent, accountable and positive to the people that brought it to power. However, AAP should also realise that they can never ride on ‘populism’ in the longterm because if these actions cause the state exchequer to borrow huge amounts of funding from the central government to fulfil these promises. They should be able to strike a balance and if AAP is able to do that in Delhi, it will help them gain prominence and in turn, they could become a national party in no time. However, AAP need to bear in mind that the common man is wiser now and would not hesitate to show AAP the door in the next elections if it does not positively take on the mandate given to them. For now, we will have to wait and see what the future holds for Delhi and its people.
— The reader is an Indian flight operations controller based in Dubai