Delhi Elections : To Be Or Not To Be (AAP)

Note: This article was written by me during the first Delhi elections on my feelings about AAP. Also, the time when I wrote this was when they took the elections by storm claiming 38 seats and then later went on to win a staggering 67 seats out of 70 odd seats in the Delhi elections!



Amidst the ongoing election polls drama, Aam Aadmi Party clearly proves to be the hot potato of the season. After a long time, one party or rather I should say a group of people that clearly stand out is the party of the mango people (or the Aam Aadmi Party). The party is headed by Arvind Kejriwal, a former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer.


So before we make any decision on whom to vote in these elections, let us try to dig deep into what has this man done for the country and why is it that he is so adamant to bring about a change in the country.


1. Mr. Kejriwal is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, where he studied Mechanical Engineering.


2. He is a former Joint Commissioner in the Income Tax Department and left it all just to bring about a change in the country that many of us dream of, “A better future!”


3. He is also a former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer – clearly signifying a man with strong character and rock steady background who is ready to give up all the luxuries in pursuit of his dream to see India (or rather Delhi first, we should say) as a better and a safer place to live.


4. He is well-known for his role in drafting a proposed Jan Lokpal Bill and his efforts to bring and implement the Right to Information (RTI) act at grassroots level. Mr Kejriwal is, thus, known as the Father of the RTI Act!


5. Mr. Kejriwal won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2006 for his contribution to the enactment of the Right to Information Act and for his efforts to empower the poorest citizens of India.


6. He donated his Magsaysay award money as a corpus fund to a NGO, Public Cause Research Foundation, after resigning from the IRS.


7. Mr. Kejriwal initiated a movement named “Parivartan”(a change) for assisting citizens in navigating income tax, electricity and food ration matters in parts of Delhi. It was through this initiative that Kejriwal unearthed the Ration fake card scam in Delhi in 2008. Mr. Kejriwal has been a strong believer of the saying “Change begins with small things”.


He is definitely not the Triton among the minnows but is of a strong character who wants to go for the big fish as he fights against Delhi CM- Sheila Dikshit for the New Delhi Constituency.


I too am a common man who wishes to see Delhi as a better and safer place to live, where our female counterparts too have the freedom to roam anywhere and at anytime, be it a day or night.


I believe that it would be sagacious to atleast given the party one chance to prove them as we have nothing to lose but only to gain if the movement by Mr. Kejriwal becomes a smashing success.