Come this May 2014 and the results will show you that AAP has already won this Loksabha Election battle. The 2014 general elections in India has many facets. AAP is an astonishing facet of this battle and they have already created a phenomenon and a wave across the country. They have created new options, choices, and opportunities for people and more than anything a hope across the country that cleaning messed up Indian politics is very much possible.

Before the formulation of AAP, the leaders, workers and volunteers were challenged to get into politics and get the Jan Lokpal bill passed. They showed it by a spectacular debut to wipe out Congress of its turf in Delhi. Mere 28 seats sent a shockwave among the political pundits who completely failed to understand and undermined the prospects of the party. The 49 days of Delhi government of AAP was an experiment which did not fulfill expectations of people but raised serious hopes for the common people to be part of a movement that can really change the face of Indian politics. A minority government would have been a challenge and AAP rightfully quit to plunge on the opportunity to make a nationwide presence.

The Loksabha 2014 elections where people witness the so called Modi wave is riding over the ground created by India against corruption movement which maligned the image of the sitting government to the level required with the support of the media. BJP being the second largest party was quick to capitalize on this, while AAP went to fight Delhi elections. BJP has not only the money power but the muscle power. Congress started fighting a losing battle post the unfortunate defeat in the assembly elections. However, AAP wisely chose to take benefit of the storm that they have created to establish themselves across the length and breadth of India by chosing to quit Delhi and contest Loksabha elections for 2014. AAP has definitely stretched themselves by contesting 433 seats with little campaign funds compared to others till date but it was worth it.

Aam Aadmi Party made innovations in Indian politics. By combining volunteerism with technology; they have created a miracle. The other parties were perplexed to find out what they have done. It was a miracle they created by chosing campaigning methods that the Congress and BJP seem to have lost. It was the people connect that was required and that’s what AAP did in every capacity. Their language of communication was simple and the message was clear. The methods to select candidate, transparency in the donations to the party, rejecting VIP culture and the so called anarchist methods, everything made sense to create a launch pad for the party. Media did the job for the TRP by keeping them in the public domain through constant news. It was free publicity for AAP which otherwise they would not have afforded. Imagine the media blackout for AAP before the Delhi elections and look at the picture now.

AAP phenomenon has questioned the conscience of many. The recent violent attacks on AAP workers is the manifestation of the guilt and the uncomforted of the lot who find it unsettling and hard to battle with. The simplest way then is to turn to violence. The people calling AAP anarchist in their approach are uncomfortable with the systemic change that AAP envisages. These methods look anarchist to us as they hurt us, as they make us feel uncomfortable, as they feel like a chaos. These methods will always be uncomfortable for many until there exists provisions for systemic change when required within the system itself. It is the lack of provision within the system for the evolution of system to benefit the larger mass; which makes people in AAP to choose these methods. In fact, had these provisions existed within the system, there would have been no need of AAP.

It doesn’t matter if May 16, 2014 tells us that AAP has won miniscule seats in the Loksabha election, but what will matter is that, AAP is phenomenon and created a vote share for them. The vote share will be the most interesting thing to watch rather than the seats won. The party has for the first time shown that a completely clean public funded election, with clean candidates from diverse backgrounds is possible. AAP gave opportunities to many who otherwise would not have dared to enter Indian Politics which they always thought that it is dirty. The ones who used to criticize government, the ones who struggled to make rights of people accessible to them and the ones who always wanted to sensitize and make the Indian public aware of the disasters and possible solutions and also the ones who wanted to pave a way for the new economic paradigm in the country; almost everyone has found a way through AAP to make a dent. AAP has made a dent too early and there is still a long way to go. However, there is no doubt that the AAP is not just a party but a phenomenon to bind people to believe that Politics is possible for common man and therefore AAP has already won 2014.

As written on (23rd April 2014)