Riding on the wave of the Anna and Nirbhaya movements, Arvind Kejriwal entered politics over 12 years ago, taking the moral high ground by claiming that he had joined politics to “change politics, not to be a political alternative”.
People didn’t mind him going back on his earlier vow that he would never have anything to do with politics. In fact, an overwhelming number of residents in the national capital romanticised him as a hero—an anti-corruption crusader, a well-educated and well-placed person who consciously chose to toil hard to raise issues affecting ordinary people. He became their voice in their struggle against VIP culture and the established political setup. Within months, he and his newly formed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made history.
Over the last 12 years, Kejriwal has largely acted in a manner that is almost the opposite of what he initially preached. However, this has not significantly affected him, at least not electorally. His onward march has continued.
But now, the situation on the ground in Delhi appears to be different from what it was in 2015 and 2020. On February 5 this year, when Delhi goes to the polls, Kejriwal could face a tough fight to regain power. In short, this verdict will reflect whether people are willing to forget and forgive his deviations and failure to deliver on his promises. There’s a reason for this.
During his first term (2015-2020), Kejriwal introduced numerous initiatives and created a heavy buzz: free electricity up to 200 units, free water, Mohalla clinics, improvements in government-run hospitals, upgrades in the appearance of government school classrooms, and a seemingly genuine fight with the Union government over the division of power. He also made bold claims about ways to reduce Delhi’s pollution, among other promises. Cut to the current term (2020-2025), Kejriwal has little substantive progress to showcase. This period has mostly been marked by negative news for the AAP.
Here are five reasons why Kejriwal could face a real challenge this time around:
One, the four main AAP leaders—Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, and Sanjay Singh—are out on bail after spending considerable time in jail in relation to allegations of corruption. Kejriwal spent over five months in judicial custody at Tihar jail, Manish Sisodia remained behind bars for 17 months, Satyendra Jain was in for more than two years, and Sanjay Singh was in custody for six months. It couldn’t have got worse for Kejriwal, the ‘anti-corruption’ crusader. Both Kejriwal, as Chief Minister, and his Deputy, Sisodia, were named in the liquor scam. It will take a long time for the courts to reach a final verdict, with the process likely dragging out from the lower courts to the High Court, and ultimately to the Supreme Court. Kejriwal had to resign from the position of Chief Minister after being released on bail due to conditions imposed by the Supreme Court, which prevented him from attending office and signing official files.
Two, the renovation worth over ₹33 crore that Kejriwal got done for his official residence on 6 Flag Staff Road—at the expense of the public exchequer—could potentially become a glaring symbol of the contradiction between what Kejriwal practised and preached, or even once stated in an affidavit. The pictures of the fixtures and fittings in the toilets, gym, sauna, jacuzzi, kitchen, living rooms, and corridors are beyond the comprehension of ordinary citizens. The CAG report has provided an itemised list of purchases for the renovation, including ₹96 lakh for curtains, ₹39 lakh for kitchen equipment, ₹4.80 lakh for a minibar, ₹16.27 lakh for silk carpets. The list goes on.
Three, Kejriwal’s much-hyped claim, that he enhanced the public health sector and transformed Delhi’s education system with world-class institutions, has come under significant scrutiny. The gap between the hype and reality is now too evident to overlook.
In January last year, a slew of irregularities were uncovered by the vigilance and health departments in the functioning of Mohalla clinics and some hospitals run by the city government. The Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, called for a CBI probe into these alleged frauds, involving fake lab tests and ‘ghost patients’ at Delhi Mohalla Clinics. A CBI investigation was also recommended into substandard drug samples collected from three government hospitals. These irregularities were identified through investigations conducted in 2023. It was found that patients at these Mohalla clinics were given consultations and medicines by unauthorised staff in the absence of doctors.
Further investigation revealed that fake mobile numbers were used to register patients and conduct lab tests. The health department’s inquiry report showed that over 3,000 records of different patients had the same mobile number—9999999999—while for 999 patients, their mobile numbers were repeated 15 or more times. Similarly, 11,657 patients had the mobile number “zero” registered against their names, while over 8,000 patients had blank mobile number fields in their registration records.
The AAP’s claims about improving education are also under strain.
Fourth, two departments of the Delhi government published public advertisements debunking the claims made by incumbent Chief Minister Atishi and her political boss Arvind Kejriwal about the Sanjeevni and Mahila Samman Yojna. This is the first time government departments have publicly challenged their own chief minister’s position.
The AAP is also facing a challenge to several unfulfilled promises, such as cleaning the Yamuna, riverfront development, the Gazipur dump yard, pollution control, and providing tap water to all. Inflated electricity and water bills have raised concerns among certain sections of Delhi’s residents. Though Kejriwal has urged people not to pay the bills and promised to waive them off if he returns to power, the question remains: why were inflated bills issued in the first place, and if they were issued, why weren’t they corrected before the Election Commission announced the poll schedule?
Fifth, Chief Minister Atishi’s public statement, that she is holding the post temporarily until the elections, may not add value to the AAP’s campaign. There is a lingering question about whether Kejriwal, if the AAP manages to win again, can assume office as Chief Minister. The bail conditions imposed by the Supreme Court on Kejriwal clearly stated that he could not enter the office of the Chief Minister or sign official files in that capacity.
(The author is Consulting Editor, NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author