Delhi Election Results: Can AAP Become BJP’s National Alternative?

‘Bharat Mata’ and ‘Hanuman’s Blessings’: How Kejriwal’s result day speech hints at AAP’s national aspirations.

File image of Arvind Kejriwal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/PMOIndia) 

There were no surprises in store for Delhi as the 2020 Assembly election results were much in line with the exit poll predictions. With the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) being all set for a resounding third-time victory, addressing the people, the AAP chief in his speech called the results the beginning of "a new kind of politics".

While the Delhi voters clearly rejected BJP's polarising campaign, Kejriwal's populism seems to have worked in his favour. But the key question for Kejriwal remains – what next? Is the party aiming at becoming a viable alternative to the BJP at the national level?

The Kejriwal Brand of Nationalism

When Arvind Kejriwal addressed the voters on Tuesday, 11 February, he began his speech with slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram', a style particular to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Kejriwal also went on to say that the victory isn't just the victory of the people of Delhi but also that of 'Bharat Mata', insinuating that his victory is the victory of India. He also hailed Lord Hanuman saying, "Tuesday is Hanuman Ji's day and he chose to shower his blessings on Delhi."

This is not new. Kejriwal, in the run-up to the elections, was seen asserting his religious side several times, be it his visit to temples, his recitation of Hanuman Chalisa or his jibes at the opposition leaders, calling them ‘nakli Hindus’.

With the debate on nationalism and Hindutva dominating the political discourse under Modi and Shah, Kejriwal's brand of nationalism, which involves populist schemes and a pro-forces and anti-Pakistan stand, can help him fill in the vacuum in the Opposition at the national level.

Kejriwal Vs Modi

Arvind Kejriwal is one of the few politicians who hasn't shied away from taking on Prime Minister Modi in the election battlefield directly, even at the peak of the latter's popularity.

In a move which most political analysts wrote off as an immature and rookie trick, Kejriwal contested against Modi from Varanasi in the 2014 general elections. Although he lost the elections by a huge margin, the AAP chief arrived in the big league of Indian politicians.

In the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections, Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal launched no-holds-barred attacks on one another as the two parties fought for the national capital. Kejriwal returned as the Delhi chief minister with the AAP winning 67 of 70 seats and a vote share of 54 percent.

One should also look at similarities between Prime Minister Modi and Kejriwal as both leaders represent parties thriving on a personality cult, using populist schemes to engage voters and lofty amount of money spent on advertisement.

But in the 2020 Assembly polls, Kejriwal shied away from directly attacking the PM, most likely because he didn't want to anger voters who are pro-Modi but prefer AAP in Delhi.

With AAP's thumping victory in Delhi and the lack of a tall opposition at the national level, it won't be surprising if Kejriwal pitches himself as an alternative to Modi in 2024. However, with recent trends showing how Indian voters vote differently for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, his success rate looks bleak.