Aam Aadmi Party’s shift from the politics of spectacle into tangible politics did not bring quick rewards in the Delhi municipal elections, but AAP may hold promise yet. Local civic issues, including the track record of the Bharatiya Janata Party that was in office for two terms, took a backseat in these polls, obscured by the scale and intensity of BJP’s campaign around the popularity and policies of Modi, which simultaneously denigrated and delegitimised AAP. Even as AAP failed to match the BJP’s “Modi-momentum,” many among the poor appreciate AAP’s implementation of measures that affect their quality of life.
