So what next?

I have been following Politics since childhood and have always been vocal about my preference. Being an idealist with staunch nationalism, BJP always coincided naturally with my ideology as far as Indian polity is concerned. But I am an educated citizen and I reserve my discretion as far as choosing my government and the adequate candidate for the constituency is concerned.

But in this post, I want to talk about the fledgling political party of India, AAP, which has been in news since they formed the government in Delhi and then quit the government for legitimate reasons. AAP has been able to galvanize good people from different places of India and bring them into Indian polity in these elections. That, in itself, is an indication of success of the party.

Nevertheless, I just want to talk about the things AAP should have done more strategically and things they should do going forward. Please note that this post is only my personal opinion and I only talk about the critical mistakes they have done which they should have handled tactfully.

First, people have been critical about them forming the government in Delhi with 'forced' support of Congress. They formed the government after taking a referendum from people of Delhi which in itself was an innovative and mature way to finalize on a difficult decision in this age of information and connectivity. Their opposition have been critical about them taking support from Congress which is quite natural as they had been blasting Congress before the elections. But this should have been the biggest learning for them as modern politics in India is a team game in which you have to collaborate even with enemies.

Second, AAP had raised eyebrows with its 'vigilante' governance. It might not be correct legally and conventionally but it should be acceptable if it solves the purpose of serving the people. This might seem incorrect as it defies and undermines the structure of governance and administration. But if you know about how the Indian police machinery works in practice, you would be aware that these kind of vigilance on them is required. This is not meant to denigrate and belittle the police, but to make them realize the importance of their duty of serving the people in the right way. AAP should have tried to avoid Public Media for the raid which they conducted. This wouldn't have bloated the issue and solved the problem of the public as well.

Third, AAP has been questioned about so many candidates in the general elections. Their defense is that they got unprecedented response from good people throughout India and they couldn't deny them from contesting elections from their respective constituency. In a way, this is justified but it is yet to be seen as to how much does it convert to votes. If AAP candidates are able to garner sizeable votes at their constituencies, this would be remarkable even if they are not able to send many MPs to the Parliament.

Fourth, AAP is a phenomena which resides in the subconscious of every Indian. Every person in this country wants good people in the Parliament and good governance. Over the years, the vested interests of different parts of society have spoiled the administrators and the 'aam aadmi' had to bear the brunt of it. The idea of AAP is to address this issue comprehensively. Their clean image is their strength and appeal as well. The performance of the MPs sent by AAP should set benchmark for the MPs of other parties. This would address the criticism that AAP doesn't do its duties adequately.

Fifth, AAP should be very meticulous in selecting each member hereafter. They should work as if they have to build a world class company destined to prove its point. They should strengthen district and state level units and recruit people at those levels. This would give them a bigger and better base and foundation for the future. Additionally, AAP has to take preventive measures to mitigate the risk of political vendetta. They suffered heavily from it in Delhi for which they paid heavy price.

There are many more suggestions which can be given to groom this idea of alternate politics for India. AAP is analogous to the Five Star Movement of Italy from 2013. In their first elections, they came as third largest party in Italy. But India is a much bigger country than Italy where we have innumerous factors governing the choice of a voter. Nevertheless, AAP should continue to ignite the dormant souls who want to have a better India in the future. The platform which AAP has provided to the country should ensure that we head towards a mature democracy and a mature society.

AAP, Best of luck for the results tomorrow.  Be an excellent opposition and a perfect representation of your people.

Anand Bora