Govt formation in Delhi by AAP- the Aam Aadmi Party

As expected, AAP is going ahead with formation of Govt. There will be obvious "I-told-you-so-AAP-isBteam-Of-Congress" cries by BJP supporters. And Congress leaders too have already said that "nothing is unconditional" (about support). Undoubtedly AAP is playing a very risky game now. They have to come true to people's expectation and that too in quite limited time. Post March 2014, model code of conduct could be in place. So they have just 3 months of time to prove their worth. Otherwise they may not be able to fare well in the Loksabha elections. While 3 months is a very less time, a genuine indication of their intent could definitely be expressed. 

That said, the decision of forming Govt itself was quite fishy. Needless to say, the so called referendum was just a diversion exercise to avoid being questioned for taking support from Congress. Congress was a party they always fiercely fought against, and voters too gave their support considering AAP as a nice anti-BJP, anti-Congress option. So taking support from Congress was highly unethical. Still, if in the larger interest of people, and with people's support for their decision, they would have gone for Govt formation, there would have been nothing wrong. But did people really wanted AAP to form Govt with Congress support? I don't think so. There are several questions against the Opinion seeking process, which makes one conclude that the opinion could be highly flawed, unbalanced and even rigged. Here are some pointers-

1. How could  they ensure that maximum of Delhi voters have given the opinion? Could they ensure 65-70% of voters opinion, which equals polling percentage?
2. If they took only 30-40% voters' opinion, then can't it be accused to be of SELECTIVE opinion seeking?  What guarantee does it carry of being evenly distributed, being truly random?
3. Was this process independent? How will others believe that it's honest, and not a manipulated one? Had they included some independent people in this entire opinion seeking process?
4. Also, who will come outside to give opinions in public meetings? Obviously, AAP enthusiasts who will probably be equally enthusiastic about AAP forming Govt. Why will naysayers take pain to come out of home, just to say NO!! Will BJP supporters come out to their public meetings just to say no? Chances are that, they will mumble something like- "Do whatever you like, we always knew you are going to join hands with Congress!"

Since I posed these objections, I would also like to give solution to all this. The opinion should have been collected by a door-to-door campaign, collecting at least 50% of voters' opinion. The opinion should have been taken on a paper-form containing the voter's name, constituency and voter ID card no. Also, a few independent observers could have been invited to oversee the process. This process would certainly have taken longer time, but would have been far more reliable and foolproof.

I wonder if going for Govt formation was a wise decision of AAP. Being a non-ruling party was giving them advantage of questioning the wrong. But now, being in Govt, they will be put to a litmus test. Now they will be questioned for their policies. Even a single wrong move could spell disaster for them. Also, in case of reelection, there were high chances of them getting more no. of seats. Riding on a minority Govt doesn't seem to be such a nice idea!

All said and done, AAP has already decided in favour of formation of Govt, so no use now wasting time over all these things. More important is what lies ahead. Will AAP be able to deliver? Many of their promises seem to be highly unrealistic and quite idealistic too. What with drop in electricity charges by 50%, free water up to some amount and no VIP security. How will they manage all this promises? Where will they bring the money from? Not to talk of the legalization of illegal colonies, which raises another set of questions! 

Needless to say, this is a make-or-break moment for AAP. If they are able to deliver quickly, on most of their promises, people will forget their taking support from Congress. If they fail to deliver, they will become an extinct species in Indian Politics! Loksabha election is very near. They better start working seriously on their promises, or nobody will vote for them in next elections! Hope they really do, and silent the critics. J