Decoding the AAP rise

The spectacular win registered by Aam Aadmi Party(AAP),even outdoing the modest exit poll predictions, is surely, in my view, a victory of democracy. The overwhelming support for the party reminds me of a notable French thinker, Rousseau, who had put forth the secular ‘social contract theory’ during the French revolution of 1789.Rousseau said that the ultimate power or sovereignty lies with the people and all the state authorities are mere servants of the people.

I would rate the AAP victory as incredibly revolutionary for various reasons. First, the entry of AAP in the arena of politics has redefined politics. That said, for the last few decades, the conventional politics in India was regarded as a monopoly of the rich, powerful and the elite assuming the political power on behalf of the citizens. Now, the AAP win clearly states that even a person with humble origins in terms of wealth and charisma can contest elections and emerge victorious. It is all about a lot of hard work and reaching out to the public with benevolent intentions.

Second, as the voting patterns revealed,the AAP gained considerable support from the youth.Therefore,the youth taking active interest in politics is a welcome development for our democracy.Today,the social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are flooded with comments pertaining to politics from the younger generations. The youth have become an active agent of change voicing support for those parties and candidates practising clean politics and delivering results.There is a possibility of a new politics today.

Third,the people have become increasingly conscious of the issues that affect them.The citizens crave for a politics that is participatory,citizen-centric and development oriented.Good governance has become a key factor in modern politics.The people in Delhi have voted against corruption and a VIP-culture that was prevalent in the previous regimes.

Thus, it appears that the Indian democracy is deepening as well as maturing in terms of electoral preferences.I want to emphasise that a pursuit of power is different from the passion for politics.One is an act of self-aggrandisement, the second a creative search for the public good.The AAP victory is therefore a significant development in the history of Indian politics.