'To Capitalise': Is AAP's Loss In Delhi A Gain For Congress?

With the AAP’s loss in the Delhi Assembly Elections, the repercussion could have been bigger, perhaps to the benefit of the Congress in the national capital and the adjacent Punjab and other AAP strongholds. After the AAP chose to contest the poll alone in Delhi, the Congress had campaigned aggressively against the ruling party.

Congress leaders in Punjab have already started suggesting that it would capitalise on the AAP’s weakened position to recapture political ground in the state. Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Partap Singh Bajwa has predicted an internal tussle in the AAP’s Punjab unit, stating that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his supporters will be pitted against the Delhi AAP leaders, pointing out the possibilities of large-scale defection among MLAs in Punjab. Punjab is now the only AAP ruling state in the country.

Read Also: Here’s What AAP’s Top Ministers Said After Delhi Election Loss

The Congress leader also recalled a statement made by the state president of AAP in Punjab, Aman Arora, that a Hindu could also be CM of Punjab and that the individual occupying the chief minister office should be capable and should not be seen in the prism of Hindu or Sikh, noting that the AAP chief might try to occupy the post in Punjab. A legislative seat is also vacant in Punjab, Ludhiana, while doubting that Kejriwal may contest in the upcoming by-election, the Indian Express quoted Bajwa.

Congress MP from Gurdaspur, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, has predicted a mid-term poll in Punjab as the AAP faces power crises following the Delhi debacle. “The Delhi results will also bring out the massive corruption that AAP has done in Punjab in the shape of the liquor scam on the lines of the Delhi liquor scam and the MSP scam in paddy procurement this year. Everything will now come out in the open,” the Congress leader said.

Read Also: What Happened To The Muslim Votes In Delhi?

Congress general secretary in charge of communication Jairam Ramesh called the AAP’s defeat in Delhi a “referendum on Arvind Kejriwal” and the AAP. Stating that the result rejected Kejriwal’s politics of deceit, fraud, and exaggerated claims of achievements, the Congress Rajya Sabha MP said the party played a major role in exposing various scams that took place during the Kejriwal regime. Noting that the Congress has increased its vote share in Delhi, Jairam Ramesh added that the party would strengthen its presence further in the national capital.