Rightlog.in exclusive- Is Kejriwal about to be replaced as AAP’s National Convenor?

Yesterday was the 26^th of November, and the country observed the 10^th anniversary of the dastardly Mumbai attacks. Yesterday, the country also observed the anniversary of what many call another unmitigated disaster, namely the Aam Aadmi Party. It was on this day exactly six years ago that the party had come into being.

Of late, this party which rules only one union territory but which has successfully been in the news for some reason or the other throughout its six years of existence, has been in the news again after its leader Arvind Kejriwal was attacked. The neighbour of a BJP leader (according to Atishi previously known as Atishi Marlena) attacked him with chili powder, and the AAP alleged that it was an attempt to murder him and even convened a special assembly session to discuss this. Of course yesterday, a Muslim cleric carrying a live bullet was caught trying to make his way into the chief minister’s residence, but the party hasn’t said much about the incident as of now.

But the party is now likely to be in the news again very soon. Six years after the formation of the party, and three and half years after Arvind Kejriwal led the party to a stunning victory in Delhi, the end of an era is near. In fact, the era should have ended day before yesterday, and we’re not sure what is taking them so long. But the delay is probably because the party has been busy with the special assembly session regarding the chili-powder murder-attempt, and we’re sure they will get down to addressing this soon.

So here’s the deal. On the 25^th November 2012, one day before the formal launch of the Aam Aadmi Party, a National Executive of the party was held. In this meeting, Arvind Kejriwal was elected as the National Convenor of the party. Just a day before that, on the 24^th of November 2012, the party had also adopted a Constitution.

Now 26/11, apart from being the anniversary of the Mumbai attacks and the foundation day of the Aam Aadmi Party, is also India’s Constitution Day. It is celebrated every year to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India, and among those who celebrated it yesterday, was the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He even tweeted about it.

But since both Kejriwal and his party were busy with the special chili-powder murder-attempt assembly session, it seems they forgot about the constitution of their own party. Article 5 of the party’s constitution lists out the office bearers of the party. This is on Page 14 of the party’s constitution. As you can see, it includes the post Kejriwal holds himself, which is that of the National Convener.

The next part of the Article 5 of the Constitution, which is continued on Page 15, has to do with the ‘Powers and Functions of the Office Bearers’. The last section, which is section ‘f’, is titled ‘Term of the Office Bearers’. Only one sentence appears under that section, and it is printed on the next page, which is page 16. It says: “No member will hold the same post as an office bearer for more than two consecutive terms of three years each.”

Once again, this constitution was adopted on the 24^th of November 2012, and Kejriwal was elected to the post of National Convenor (an office bearer’s post) on the 25^th November 2012. Two three-year terms add up to a total of six years, which means that technically, his term finished on 25^th November 2018, which was day before yesterday.

Perhaps it is too harsh to expect the party to function like clockwork. After all, despite every government’s term lasting for exactly five years in India, elections and swearing-in ceremonies are not held on the same dates every five years. They can always be off by a few days. So it is safe to assume that elections for the post of National Convenor will be held very soon, and that very soon, the AAP will have a new face as its National Convenor. Arvind Kejriwal had become synonymous with the AAP, therefore this will be the end of an era.

Possible Replacements

Among the possible faces which might replace Arvind Kejriwal as the National Convenor is Somnath Bharti. The reason Somnath Bharti’s name comes to mind is because he is probably the tallest leader of the Aam Aadmi Party who does not hold a ministerial berth. Other tall leaders such as Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain have ministerial responsibilities. The current National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal is also the chief minister of Delhi, but he managed to juggle both responsibilities because he had an able deputy in Manish Sisodia. Since the next National Convenor might not have this luxury, it is unlikely to be a minister. Somnath Bharti is also a front runner because the party has stood by him time and again. Despite the midnight raids, allegations of domestic abuse, allegations of spamming millions of inboxes, and asking a journalist to take to prostitution on live television, the party continues to stand by him steadfastly. This leads us to believe that Bharti commands tremendous respect and support among the party’s cadres.

Will the AAP uphold its constitution?

The Aam Aadmi Party hasn’t shown any sign of replacing Arvind Kejriwal as the National Convenor as of now. The mainstream media too hasn’t raised this issue. But this doesn’t indicate in any way that the party will sidestep the issue altogether. Despite bringing bouncers to meetings, despite the fact that most founding members no longer belong to the party, despite the fact that outsiders like Sushil Gupta were given Rajya Sabha seats against the wishes of many cadres, the fact remains that the AAP continues to be the most democratic party in India. It still conduct Mohalla Sabhas every now and then. Therefore there is no reason to believe that Arvind Kejriwal will not be replaced as the National Convenor very soon. Brace yourself!