RESOLUTE RESPONSE

The Aam Aadmi Party has so far been bold and inventive in what could be a fight for survival

- SONI MISHRA

DELHI CHIEF MINISTER Arvind Kejriwal recently accompanied newly elected mayor Shelly Oberoi to one of the biggest garbage dumps in Delhi. Clearing the city of its landfills was among the Aam Aadmi Party’s election promises. As he wrapped up the visit to the Bhalswa landfill, assembled journalists asked him about former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is in judicial custody for alleged corruption. Kejriwal smiled and politely replied that he did not want to talk about the issue.

The arrest of Sisodia, Kejriwal’s closest confidant and his second-in-command in the AAP, was a major jolt to the party and its national convenor. Sisodia shouldered the most responsibility in the Delhi government, allowing Kejriwal to remain without a portfolio and focus on the party’s expansion. The arrest came at a time when the AAP was looking to expand, contest the assembly elections scheduled for this year and position itself as a serious contender for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

However, despite the setback, and under tremendous pressure, the AAP is attempting a fightback. “There is not going to be any change in our plans because of recent developments, be it governance in Delhi or our expansion plans,” said Delhi MLA Sanjeev Jha, who is the AAP’s state-in-charge for Chhattisgarh. “Our preparations to fight elections in Chhattisgarh are on track. If at all, the arrests will only make our campaign more forceful.”