WAS KEJRIWAL LAGGING BEHIND IN UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY?

WAS KEJRIWAL LAGGING BEHIND IN UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY?

2-MAY-ENG 20

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------Kejriwal—who is currently wandering around looking teary-eyed after being slapped—must surely be asked this question: for the past thirteen and a half years, has he been working to uphold his duty to Indian democracy, or has he merely sat by as a loyal, covert accomplice in orchestrating the funeral rites of democracy itself?… What do you have to say regarding this fundamental character trait of Kejriwal—who rose to prominence through a *faux* struggle—wherein he sidelines his diligent colleagues to prioritize the wealthy and powerful?

When seven Rajya Sabha members of the Aam Aadmi Party broke ties with Arvind Kejriwal and defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party, Kejriwal—who had previously removed Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait from his office and cast it aside—went and sat at Rajghat, adopting the posture of an ascetic. The actions of those seven schemers represent the absolute nadir of ideological degradation in politics. What milder language could one possibly use to describe them than calling them ingrates and traitors? Yet, Kejriwal—who is currently wandering around looking teary-eyed after being slapped—must surely be asked this question: for the past thirteen and a half years, has he been working to uphold his duty to Indian democracy, or has he merely sat by as a loyal, covert accomplice in orchestrating the funeral rites of democracy itself?

Is the umbilical cord of Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party not buried deep within Reshimbagh, Nagpur? Are Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party not the progeny of a fabricated, anti-corruption movement cynically engineered by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)? Since its inception in 2012, has Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party done anything other than play the role of a subordinate lieutenant for the Bharatiya Janata Party? If Kejriwal—who has consistently engaged in the nefarious act of destabilizing opposition politics at every turn—is today weeping over the thorny consequences of his own sowing, then let him weep. For the seven figures who abandoned him are indeed repulsive; yet, Kejriwal himself is no less despicable than they are. The Aam Aadmi Party has contested assembly elections in nearly every state and Union Territory across the country. In every instance, the strategy behind fielding its candidates has been designed in such a way as to clearly split the votes of the Congress and other secular political parties, thereby benefiting the BJP. From 2012 to April 2026, the Aam Aadmi Party fielded 2,585 candidates across various state assembly elections. Of these, 299 candidates emerged victorious, while 2,286 were defeated.

In the Delhi assembly elections held in 2013, 2015, 2020, and 2025, Kejriwal fielded a total of 278 candidates. Across these four elections, 179 of them won. Specifically, 28 candidates from the Aam Aadmi Party won in 2013, 67 in 2015, 62 in 2020, and 22 in 2025. In Punjab, Kejriwal fielded a total of 229 candidates in the 2017 and 2022 elections; of these, 112 were victorious—20 in 2017 and 92 in 2022. In Goa, 78 candidates were fielded in 2017 and 2022, of whom only two managed to win. In Gujarat, 209 candidates were fielded in 2017 and 2022, with a mere five emerging victorious. In the 2024 elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Kejriwal fielded seven candidates, and one of them won.

Despite having virtually zero probability of victory, Kejriwal never held back in other states from flooding the electoral field with his candidates, effectively paving a smoother path for the BJP. In 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party fielded 349 candidates in Uttar Pradesh, 277 in Madhya Pradesh, 227 in Rajasthan, and 237 in Karnataka. In 2015, Kejriwal fielded 121 candidates in Bihar, 142 in Chhattisgarh, and 134 in Haryana. Out of these 1,500 candidates, not a single one managed to win. Currently, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) holds a total of 121 legislative seats: 22 in Delhi, 94 in Punjab, and a scattering of others across various remaining states. In most states, AAP has secured a vote share ranging between a mere 1% and 3%. In these states, every single one of its non-victorious candidates forfeited their security deposits. Specifically, 38 out of 39 candidates in Goa, 128 out of 181 in Gujarat, all 209 in Karnataka, and all 205 candidates across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh lost their security deposits.

Most of these candidates received fewer votes even than the 'NOTA' (None of the Above) option. Even in Punjab—where Kejriwal’s party managed to elect 20 legislators—as many as 25 candidates still forfeited their security deposits. Thus, for a party whose candidates have been suffering crushing defeats in state assembly elections across the entire country for the past thirteen and a half years—with 88.5% of them losing badly—it is abundantly clear what "business" it is actually engaged in: contesting elections solely to cut into the vote share, thereby harming certain parties while benefiting others.

Now, let us turn to the Lok Sabha. Since its inception in 2012, the Aam Aadmi Party has fielded a total of 489 candidates across the Lok Sabha elections held in 2014, 2019, and 2024. Of these, only 8 candidates emerged victorious—4 in 2014, 1 in 2019, and 3 in 2024. Out of the 489 candidates who contested across these three elections, 446 forfeited their security deposits. Merely a year and a half after its birth, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party fielded a staggering 432 candidates. At whose behest—and on whose instructions—did they find the audacity to field candidates in 90% of the seats in a House comprising 543 members? I can only offer my salutations to the intellect of those who still fail to grasp this reality.

Of the 489 candidates fielded in 2014, only 4 won, while 414 forfeited their security deposits. The Aam Aadmi Party's vote share stood at 2.1 percent. In 2019, Kejriwal fielded 35 candidates. One won—in Sangrur, Punjab. The security deposits of 30 candidates were forfeited. The party secured 0.4 percent of the vote. In 2024, 22 candidates were fielded. Three won—all three in Punjab. The security deposits of two candidates were forfeited. The party received 1.11 percent of the vote.

So, for a party that fields candidates in Lok Sabha elections with a 98 percent probability of defeat, what exactly is its true motive behind contesting the polls? Anyone can easily grasp this much. If the Aam Aadmi Party has not been the BJP's 'B-team' for the past thirteen and a half years, then what is it? Its fundamental objective is to undermine secular forces within the country. That is precisely why Kejriwal chose the opportune moment to take the initiative to disrupt the unity of the INDIA bloc.

Kejriwal... The ledger of misdeeds—encompassing both the transgressions of the individuals involved and the BJP’s nefarious machinations to coerce and poach seven Rajya Sabha members from the Aam Aadmi Party—reeks of utter corruption. Despite the fact that the BJP secured a mere 6.6 percent of the vote in the 2022 Punjab elections—and saw only two of its candidates elected to the 117-member Legislative Assembly—the ‘MoSha’ coterie did not hesitate to weave a web of deceit so intricate that, in blatant defiance of all democratic values ​​and traditions, 85.7 percent of Punjab’s representation in the Rajya Sabha fell right into their lap overnight.

There is another crucial point, to which the nation’s attention has been drawn by Ajay Maken—a leader of immense significance within the Congress party, ranking fourth in the organizational hierarchy and fifth in practical influence. Addressing a press conference, he raised a fascinating and fundamental issue: the collective wealth of the seven turncoat MPs from the Aam Aadmi Party amounts to ₹8,18,50,35,420. He specifically underscored the final three digits of this figure: 420. Citing the MPs' electoral affidavits, Maken revealed that the average wealth of each of these defecting lawmakers stands at ₹1,16,92,90,774.

What is your verdict on this fundamental character trait of Kejriwal—who rose to prominence on the back of a pseudo-struggle—wherein he sidelines his diligent colleagues to prioritize the wealthy and the moneyed? As we witness this ‘Amrit Kaal’—this political duet between ‘MoSha’ and the spiritual heir of Kisan Baburao Hazare—should we spit in disgust, or should we dance and sing in celebration?