Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 24, 2024, 06:20 PM
Arvind Kejriwal: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will campaign in support of allies for the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. According to sources, Kejriwal will campaign for the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, specifically the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) and Sharad Pawar's NCP. However, it is not clear whether he will campaign for the Congress, which is part of this alliance. This situation has given rise to discussions in political circles whether Kejriwal has completely distanced himself from the Congress.Signs of distance from Congress?In Jharkhand too, Kejriwal's campaign is likely to be in favor of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), but it is not clear whether he will campaign for the Congress. There is speculation that the relationship between the AAP and the Congress has cracked since the Haryana assembly elections. In Haryana, both the parties fought the elections separately, and the results after the election were disappointing for the Congress. Congress got 37 seats, while Aam Aadmi Party could not win a single seat and its deposit was forfeited.In Delhi too, the possibility of an alliance between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party is over. It has already been decided that both the parties will fight separately in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. In such a situation, the question arises whether Kejriwal has now started distancing himself from Congress at the national level?Maharashtra and Jharkhand electionsElections for 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase, while voting in Jharkhand will be held in two phases - on November 13 and November 20. Counting of votes in both states will take place on November 23. In Maharashtra, the seat sharing formula within the Maha Vikas Aghadi has been decided, in which 85-85-85 seats have been divided between Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). However, confusion still persists on 33 seats.In the Mahavikas Aghadi, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) has already announced its candidates on 65 seats. At the same time, BJP has released the first list of 99 candidates, in which 75 sitting MLAs have been given a chance again. NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) has also announced 38 candidates.Kejriwal's role and message for CongressArvind Kejriwal's campaigning in support of the Mahavikas Aghadi is being considered an important political move, especially when he will campaign for Shiv Sena and NCP. But what will be his stance for Congress, it remains to be seen. Is this election strategy an indication that AAP is now choosing a different path from Congress? Or is it just an election strategy, which depends on the political circumstances of different states?The lack of coordination between Congress and AAP after the Haryana elections has deepened this speculation even more. In case Kejriwal does not campaign for Congress in Jharkhand too, it may be clear that there will be no alliance between the two parties in the future.ConclusionArvind Kejriwal's campaign in Maharashtra and Jharkhand shows that he is trying to further strengthen his party's role in national politics. However, his relationship with the Congress and how his strategy will shape up in this election will be keenly watched. His support for the Maha Vikas Aghadi in these elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand may confirm the growing distance between the AAP and the Congress.