AAP has won hands down in Delhi, and it will take a long time for the BJP to overcome this massive heartache. The macro points for the defeat are there to be seen and BJP's spin masters will be looking for possible causes to take remedial action. But there are a few points which made BJP seem petty in public perception, further bolstering AAP's image as the party of underdog.
The repeated 'bhagoda' jibe:
It made the point once, and rubbed it in the second time. But repeating the same jibe ad nauseam, becomes repetitive, venal and malicious. Also, PM Modi branding Kejriwal as a Naxal was a travesty and frankly, unbecoming of the stature of his high post. BJP leaders perhaps thought that by repeatedly mocking AAP, it could reduce them to mere Whatsapp jokes or online memes. But the move backfired and how!
Not inviting Kejriwal for the Republic Day parade:
While Kiren Bedi was invited, Kejriwal was given the royal snub! Forget about protocols and other such trivial things, it simply was in bad taste that an ex-CM was hankering for a pass to see the Republic Day parade.
The Rs 10 lakh suit:
The 'messiah of commoners', strutting around in a Rs 10 lakh suit certainly didn't gave a proper vibe to the underclass of Delhi. It reeked of entitlement, a sort of hubris which is associated with the elite in Lutyens' Delhi, not from a man of the masses.
Casteist jibe about Kejriwal:
This was like the "neechi rajniti" barb of Priyanka Gandhi which Modi turned on its head. AAP loudly decried the fact that BJP branded Kejriwal's gotra as 'Upadravi Gotra'. The statement was widely deemed as casteist and may have antagonised the large community class of Delhi who have traditionally voted for BJP.
Funding row:
BJP thought that cornering AAP in the entire funding row would help in denting the anti-corruption image of AAP. But as the results show, the move backfired. It felt like a hatchet job from the beginning and the timing of the entire exposure was a matter of suspect.
Kiran Bedi's Twitter misadventures:
Politics is a tightrope of diplomacy and the art of communication. Where Kejriwal constantly engaged with his detractors amiably, Bedi demonstrated a streak from her IPS days and blocked opponents left, right and centre, including Kejriwal. So much for mature politics!
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