New Delhi: As BJP is set to make comebacl after nearky three decades, AAP has finally hit a roadblock in Delhi. BJP is forming the government in the national capital after ousting the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. While there are umpteen reasons for the party to win or lose any state election, the one which will come back to haunt the AAP most is the performance of its INDIA-bloc partner Congress.
The BJP’s victory has prompted a chorus of commentary from former AAP members, many of whom have openly criticised Arvind Kejriwal and the party’s leadership. Their statements highlighted deep divisions and offered contrasting perspectives on the reasons behind the AAP’s downfall and the BJP’s unexpected triumph.
Kumar Vishwas, a former AAP leader and prominent poet, offered a scathing assessment of Kejriwal’s leadership. While congratulating the BJP, Vishwas expressed a lack of sympathy for Kejriwal, stating that he had “crushed the dreams” of AAP workers, using their aspirations for his own political ambition.
“I congratulate the BJP for the victory and I hope that they’ll work for the people of Delhi… I have no sympathy for a man who crushed the dreams of AAP party workers. Delhi is now free from him… He used those dreams for his personal ambitions,” former AAP leader & poet Kumar Vishwas said.
He went on to state that the defeat felt like justice being served, noting that even his apolitical wife was moved to tears upon hearing the news of Manish Sisodia’s loss in Jangpura. ” Today, justice has been delivered. When we got the news of Manish Sisodia losing from Jangpura – my wife who is apolitical cried…” he said.
Kiran Bedi, once a prominent supporter of the AAP, took a different approach, focusing on the potential implications of the BJP’s win. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bedi expressed optimism regarding improvements in infrastructure, particularly concerning the Yamuna River and its cleaning and possible development projects.
“Delhi has voted for an overhaul. Yamuna river may have a water-front like the Sabarmati.. Mr Gadkari may well use Yamuna for passenger traffic. Can expect! The defective STPs will function to full capacity to stop the severage going into the Yamuna. Pvt Contractors will have to deliver. Or lose their contracts. And more. Time will tell. Delhiites’ remain aspirational..” Kiran bedi posted on X.
Yogendra Yadav, a founding member of the AAP who has left the party, offered a more politically nuanced analysis in an online video on X, criticising the AAP’s strategic choices. He argued that the party’s attempts to appear more Hindutva-oriented than the BJP, combined with its silence on issues like the Delhi riots and the use of bulldozers, ultimately backfired, hindering their long-term survival prospects.
“If you want long term survival, you have to oppose BJP undemocratic politics. Kejriwal tried to be more Hindu than BJP and kept silence on the issues like Delhi riots, bulldozer action,” Yadav said.
Shazia Ilmi, another founding member who later joined the BJP, offered a concise yet powerful reaction on X, simply stating that Delhi finally recognised what she had understood more than a decade ago. This comment suggests a long-held belief that the AAP’s trajectory was unsustainable. “So finally Delhi has seen what I understood more than a decade ago!” Shazia Ilmi, founding member of AAP who later joined BJP, posted on X.
