Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party has swept the state of Punjab with 92 seats. AAP surprisingly has won 92 seats out of 117 seats in Punjab. While the landslide victory of AAP vindicates that the voters have supported the party beyond religious and caste-based lines, it has some implications too. AAP’s victory in Punjab will not only affect national security but will also lead to numerous tussles and infights.
Half CM Kejriwal vs Full CM Bhagwant Mann
Arvind Kejriwal, the founder of the Aam Aadmi Party, is currently the Chief Minister of Delhi. Delhi, as you know, is a half state. He neither has the powers like other CMs of full state nor does he have the police force under his control. Thus the “chief minister” of Delhi is not really satiated.
Kejriwal was looking forward to Punjab to fulfil his desires. But, entered Bhagwant Mann in the picture and demanded the CM chair for himself. Despite the thumping victory of AAP in Punjab, Kejriwal might lose out on his dream job. Bhagwant Mann is going to be made Punjab’s chief minister. There is no doubt about the fact that Kejriwal and Mann will be in identical offices. But at the end of the day, Punjab is politically much more significant, when compared to Delhi.
Read more: How AAP’s impending victory in Punjab might throw Kejriwal out of the party after the results
Mann, for the man he is, will take consistent steps to undercut Arvind Kejriwal within the party. Punjab’s soon to be Chief Minister, will enjoy much more powers and freedoms as compared to Kejriwal in Delhi. He has emerged within AAP as the most powerful person who most likely, will refuse to take orders from Kejriwal.
This is exactly why power equations would probably change within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Kejriwal’s incapability to see other leaders rising to power
If the past record of Arvind Kejriwal is anything to go by, it is quite evident that Kejriwal is incapable of dealing with competition within the party. In the past, he has shown the door to co-founders like Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, or leaders like Kumar Vishwas.
Read more: AAP coming to Punjab is a nightmare
Mind you, these leaders were prominent faces of the party and had helped AAP gain power in the union territory. Given the current status of Bhagwant Mann and the upcoming powers he will enjoy, it is quite obvious that Bhagwant Mann will become a taller leader within the party. Thus, he might witness a similar treatment which will further lead to a civil war in Aam Aadmi Party.
In the war between two political powers within the party, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia supposedly will provide active support to Mann. Manish Sisodia is seen as the Aam Aadmi Party’s go-to man. And over time, he has come to be known as the man who got all the work done in Delhi.
Sisodia’s central role during the last Assembly polls campaign is suggestive of how he might be nursing ambitions to overthrow his political boss. He has been eyeing for CM’s chair and thus the tussle between Kejriwal and Mann will provide him with an opportunity for the same.
The attempts to undercut each other’s position in the party will lead it to witness a civil war and it would be an interesting show to watch.