From hero to villain: AAP faces its toughest test of public perception

Delhi's political contours are changing as AAP battles scandals, BJP eyes comeback and Congress seeks revival

- AJAY JHA

The February 5 Delhi Assembly elections will witness a fierce triangular contest and serve as a litmus test for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its supremo, Arvind Kejriwal.

The political centre stage will look dramatically different from five years ago when AAP secured another sweeping victory.

The upcoming polls have left the door ajar for both the BJP and AAP's erstwhile ally, Congress.

Much has changed in the Indian capital since AAP swept to power for the second consecutive term with a brutal majority in 2020.

The political dynamics have shifted drastically, with AAP facing unprecedented challenges to its narrative of good governance.

For the first time in over a decade, Kejriwal and his senior associates face the electorate without their customary holier-than-thou attitude.

While AAP's opponents brandish a lengthy list of the government's misdeeds, the 2021 liquor scam looms particularly large, threatening to undermine the party's carefully crafted image of clean governance and transparency.

The scandal engulfed AAP's entire top brass, including Kejriwal.

They were booked for allegedly tweaking Delhi's excise rules to benefit certain private players in exchange for substantial bribes.