Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay | As 2024 looms, Kejriwal is looking ahead to 2029
Deccan ChronicleIn the aftermath of Assembly elections in a state, albeit numerically not very significant, which had the nation’s attention riveted to the outcome, it may seem odd to begin with a reaction to a minor bout in the round — namely the Lok Sabha byelection in Punjab’s Jalandhar. Noticeably buoyant after his comeback following last year’s debacle in Sangrur, after successive victories in 2014 and 2019, relief was writ clear on Mr Kejriwal’s face when AAP candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku emerged victorious. To recall last June’s electoral disaster, barely three months after the AAP swept into power in the state, the party lost the byelection for the Lok Sabha seat vacated by the CM. This, however, is a long-term goal and it makes sense given the constant murmur that Mr Kejriwal is “looking at 2029” in the hope that by that time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have in all probability demitted office, one way or the other, and in the power vacuum that will follow, space would be created for the AAP to emerge with an all-India base. There is much ground work to be done, at least in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, as winning both is essential for the Congress regaining its position as India’s principal Opposition party.