Congress, BJP to target AAP in Punjab

The Aam Aadmi Party, which checked the BJP and the Congress in the Delhi Assembly polls held after the saffron party’s spectacular performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, could be the common target of both the national parties in the coming Punjab battle.

The AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, is posing a serious threat to the Congress and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine in Punjab, which will go to the polls in the next 10 to 11 months.

While BJP strategists have realised the ruling combine cannot retain power for a third time consecutively, the main Opposition Congress knows well that the battle this time is different as the AAP has emerged as a main challenger.

“If the AAP can be checked in Punjab, then it cannot expand in other states (in the Hindi belt) and thus poses a threat to mainline parties,” viewed a BJP strategist.

But this could be possible only if the BJP, the junior partner of the SAD, transfers its votes to the Congress. This is because the AAP sees Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan as fertile ground to grow where the BJP and the Congress have been the main players. In fact, all these states are currently ruled by the BJP.

If the AAP wins Punjab, it could have a bearing on the MP and Chhattisgarh polls.

Although the Congress is fighting the Punjab battle under the leadership of Capt. Amarinder Singh, insiders believe the AAP is ahead.

A Congress poll strategist said the people want a change with a new face. “They are telling us ‘we have voted for you (Congress) and the SAD-BJP combine, now let the AAP get a chance’,” he said.

Mr Kejriwal does not want to remain confined to Delhi as the chief minister and has national ambitions. That is why he had contested against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi in the 2014 general election.

He is unlikely to take part in campaigning in the West Bengal elections as he does not want to hurt either the Trinamul Congress or the Left as they and the JD(U) are his prospective allies in the next general election, sources said.