The rival has come at last, at least in the capital with Arvind Kejriwal winning the Delhi elections handsomely. The developmental works undertaken by the AAP government in the last five years catapulted him to power once again. Buoyed by the success the Kejriwal-led AAP plans to replicate this throughout India and many state governments are taking note of this development.
For the BJP this is giving nightmares as they see AAP doing something similar to what BJP did in 2014 when it publicized the Gujarat model of development to win the national elections. The party rode on the waning popularity of Congress besides highlighting Modi’s achievements as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2013. BJP could have a real battle on their hands if AAP succeeds in establishing its footprints in other states.
Governments in other states wanting to emulate what AAP did are doing so. West Bengal government for example has announced free electricity to consumers with quarterly consumption of up to 75 units in its 2020-21 state budget. Other states such as Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Karnataka and Jharkhand have evinced interest in setting up Mohalla clinics to offer cost-effective treatment to public.
