With the Delhi High Court on April 9 dismissing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the trial court order remanding him to the agency’s custody in connection with the excise policy case, the lack of top-tier leadership is prompting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to refocus on recalibrating its election strategy ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. No doubt, Kejriwal’s arrest has upended political equations, both locally and nationally, particularly impacting the AAP’s campaign efforts. The AAP has so far launched two election campaigns. It is now banking on a mix of factors, including sympathy votes, leveraging the narrative that Kejriwal’s arrest was orchestrated to stifle his electioneering strategy.
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in relation to the excise policy case. The trial court sent him to judicial custody till April 15. The AAP accused the ED and the BJP of hatching a conspiracy to impede Kejriwal’s campaign in the election season, further complicating the political landscape in the national capital. According to AAP leaders, both the ED and the BJP are colluding to impede Kejriwal’s election campaign and his arrest was strategically timed to align with the model code of conduct, and was deliberately orchestrated to sabotage the AAP’s poll prospects. Kejriwal’s political fate will be known when he moves the Supreme Court against the decision of the Delhi High Court.
Amid these tumultuous developments, the Supreme Court recently granted bail to senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh, who was also embroiled in the liquor policy case. The AAP Rajya Sabha MP’s release has surely lifted the morale of the party with plans to bolster the campaign by involving Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, and Singh, among others. Following the INDIA bloc’s rally at the Ramlila Maidan recently, there is a shift in focus towards the campaign, with Sunita Kejriwal expected to play a more active role in conveying the messages to the voters, while Singh is likely to take charge of the campaign in Delhi and other states where the party has fielded its candidates.
On the contrary, the BJP leaders in Delhi do not feel that Kejriwal’s arrest will benefit the AAP in the Lok Sabha elections in any manner. Instead, they view it as a pivotal moment in AAP’s political trajectory. The BJP workers have mobilised to engage in grassroots outreach, elucidating their party’s developmental initiatives and dispelling the doubts surrounding the alleged liquor policy scam. The BJP is fully aware that the AAP might seek to garner sympathy votes on the Kejriwal issue. Therefore, the saffron party is working out counter strategies. BJP leaders have received clear instructions to refrain from making any “contentious” remarks against AAP leaders. Instead, they have been advised to highlight the “mismanagement and corruption” of the AAP governments in Delhi and Punjab.
