January 22, 2025

Is the AAP making the same mistake in Punjab that the BJP made in Delhi? Reports indicate that Navjot Sidhu will join the party and will be made its CM candidate.

By snaring Navjot Singh Sidhu, AAP has not inflicted a wound on the BJP – the party had not given Sindhu any huge responsibility in the run-up to the Punjab elections and that was the main reason why he left it – instead, it has foisted an ‘outsider’ on the party cadres who will not be much enthused.

Precisely the same thing was done by the BJP in Delhi when it had brought in Kiran Bedi to be its CM face, ignoring party heavy weights like Harsh Vardhan and Vijay Goel, among others. It had led to a complete rout of the BJP in the elections. It was advantage AAP and Kejriwal then. But with Sidhu in Punjab, it is going to be disadvantage all the way.

The people are not to be fooled in this age of increased political awareness. Everyone knows what Sidhu thought of Kejriwal and his party some months back. The original nautankibaaz is all set to join the AAP-Kejriwal nautanki. People spot an opportunist the moment they see one and Sidhu, along with AAP, will be rejected, like Bedi and BJP were in Delhi. It will be advantage Congress and Capt. Amrinder Singh, as the Akali Dal-BJP combine seem to have lost the people’s faith - anti-incumbency and large scale charges of corruption and nepotism being the main reasons.

Whatever little goodwill AAP had generated with its campaign will now be lost if it makes a turncoat like Sidhu its CM candidate.