According to Kejriwal, it was the people’s will that he take on the Goliath personified by Narendra Modi in Varanasi. But the results have proved otherwise; not only has Kejriwal lost in Varanasi, in terms of vote share his performance can only be termed as dismal (1.79 lakh against Modi’s 5.16 lakh, as I write this). Added to the fiasco in Delhi, this event has the AAP to a new low from which it will take many years to recover, if at all.
So, what went wrong for the man with the golden touch? Here’s how I see it:
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Kejriwal failed to see that the momentum and mass connect he had enjoyed during the assembly elections in Delhi have now vanished. It is as if he was given one do-or-die chance by the people of Delhi, and he chose to chicken out. Now, the public has lost faith in this new party, which has reflected in Varanasi. But it’s not just about taking the easy way out. Kejriwal has changed statements and stances so many times that the people have lost faith in him as a leader, and it’s unlikely they’re going to trust him again any time soon.
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The result also shows how strong the Modi wave was. Not only did people vote for the country’s next prime minister, they also voted for stability. This is reflected in the Muslim votes polled in the BJP’s favour.
That said, Kejriwal got what he wanted from Varanasi in the first place: martyrdom. He can now claim helpless in fighting the politics-business combine on meagre resources, and hope that the public will believe him once more. Of that, however, there appears to be very little chance.
For more information :
UP General Election 2014 Results
Varanasi General Election Results 2014
