Kejriwal dumps Haryana to regain AAP's lost bastion Delhi

In a Google hangout session with the volunteers of his party recently, Arvind Kejriwal expressed apprehension over the Aam Aadmi Party contesting the upcoming assembly in Maharashtra and Haryana. The party is yet to have a sound base in Maharashtra, thus his reluctance to take the plunge in the state is understandable. But his remark on Haryana, the home base of senior party leader Yogendra Yadav, has flummoxed all. It is evident that there’s yet to be an amicable resolution to the spat that broke out between Kejriwal and Yadav a few weeks ago. The latter was solely responsible for the party’s affairs in Haryana before the Lok Sabha election. The candidates of AAP fared miserably and ended fourth or fifth in all the 10 seats of the state. The poor showing led to a flurry of allegations against Yadav. He offered to quit party posts in protest and was placated by Kejriwal later. [caption id=“attachment_1598131” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Arvind Kejriwal. AFP[/caption] Other senior members of the party, however, rule out the spat between the two as being the reason behind the party’s reluctance to fight the elections in Haryana. “Several members who attended the national executive meeting held earlier this month disapproved of the idea,” said one. Sources in the AAP said the core group in the party feels they should concentrate on Delhi only, and not spread themselves as thin as they did during the Lok Sabha polls. Delhi is the key to the survival of the party. These were words the of caution from Kejriwal at the meet, they added. There is clear realisation in the party that it has lost its appeal among the electorate in the national capital after giving up power without any provocation. “Kejriwal’s resignation as chief minister was a major strategic disaster,” a senior party member told Firstpost. The party is rebuilding its relationship with the voters from the scratch by conducting mohalla sabhas. Its legislators are utilising their MLA development fund aggressively in the constituencies. “There has been a trust deficit between the the party and the people and this has to be bridged,” said one of the members of the party’s now dissolved political affairs committee. “Street protests, dharnas are our forte but we are staying away from these because we have already been branded by a section of the media as a disruptive force. And we have to change that,” said another senior party member.