What Went Wrong with the Third Alternative? Exploring the Rise and Demise of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab
3 Ronki Ram: Third Alternative in Punjab What Went Wrong With the Third Alternative? Exploring the Rise and Demise of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab Ronki Ram Punjab University _______________________________________________________________ Behind the initial meteoric rise of AAP in Punjab lay the widespread desperation of the common people, albeit buried under the burden of ten years long rule of the SAD-BJP combine. However, AAP saw in the restive people of Punjab an easy means to achieve the desired goal of capturing power at the center. The people of Punjab, who had favored the party in 2014 parliamentary elections, gradually moved away and recognized its hidden agenda somewhat belatedly, but then silently turned their back resulting in the rout of AAP in the state assembly elections of 2017. In this steep downfall of AAP, loss to the people of Punjab was substantially more, as it washed away, along with its own demise, their deeply cherished dream of introducing alternative politics in Punjab. _______________________________________________________________ Baba Bharati, a sanyaasi, was tricked by Kharak Singh, the dacoit, posing as a handicapped person seeking lift. As Khadag (sic) Singh sped away with Baba’s prized Arabian horse, Baba asked him to halt and made an unusual request: “I am not worried about the horse. Just don’t mention this incident to anyone.” This stumped the dacoit. Baba explained, “Should they get to know about it, people will stop trusting any helpless stranger on the street.” …. These are the only times when I wish to connect to Arvind and say something that echoes Baba Bharati: I wish you well for a successful tenure and higher successes to come.
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