It won’t be a surprise if they win more seats than projected this time too. But UP still seems to be a distant dream for Kejriwal and his men.
Despite the drama that they created at every point during the elections, we will have to applaud for AAP given their dedication and hard work on the ground. Especially in UttarPradesh, their work was exceptional. Not only they tried to understand the arithmetic of politics in the hinterlands of UP, they also tried to understand the aspirations and expectations of people there.
But, as said on Youngisthan and as various exit polls suggest too, AAP is set to lose in its old ground Delhi and in UP. In Delhi, the party is projected to win 0-3 seats but in UP, its pockets will be empty it seems.
Here are five reasons why it will happen:
- Uttar Pradesh is not Delhi. The expanse of the state was the first challenge before AAP which they failed to understand as their campaigning and work started quite late. Also, its most familiar faces decided to receive the limelight rather than contest from those seats from where they could have won. Result: slim chances of seats.
- UP, unlike Delhi, has less access to social media platforms due to more rural population. The IT-department of AAP, which had proved to be an asset earlier, failed miserably. There was hardly any SMS campaigning or other tech-savvy campaigning (like videos) by the party. The little reach resulted in less popular contact.
- AAP indulged in the style of politics which it refrained from even talking about. Arvind Kejriwal with his team went on visiting Temples and Dargahs and taking a holy dip in Ganga. He even gave an interview saying that he was a practicing Muslim! His team members also openly asked for votes on communal lines.
- What are other faces of AAP? People knew nothing about candidates except those who were famous due to their Delhi and anti-corruption stint. Why would they vote for them?
- Most of the prime ministers have been given by UP. The public is quite politically sharp. Kejriwal’s 49 day government in Delhi was much hyped and constantly in headlines. It worked adversely for the party. Afterall, who would vote for a person who ran away from responsibilities?
If we remember the exit polls of Delhi, AAP was touted to win mere 5 seats but it won 28 seats and formed the government in the state. It won’t be a surprise if they win more seats than projected this time too. But UP still seems to be a distant dream for Kejriwal and his men.
