Why MCD election result is not a referendum on AAP

The AAP leadership, which has refused to read the writing on the wall despite many warnings, weakening its progressive and popular narrative and going in for high pitched confrontations with the Union government, LGs, and finance minister Arun Jaitley, has paid a heavy price at the hustings.

It has compounded its Delhi MCD polls' defeat by solely blaming EVMs for the debacle, a charge which is seen as that of an unrepentant loser, and is unprovable. In any case, political parties have a right to inspect EVMs up to 45 days after polling. A "paper trail" would also reduce any chances of rigging, if that is suspected in future polls.

Of course, the "rout" is based on a great mismatch between the vote share of the contending parties and the seats won in the MCD polls. While the BJP's votes share was 36.1 per cent in the MCD polls 2017, it won a huge 181 wards out of 270, though less than the exit polls predicted.

On the other hand, AAP had a vote share of 26.2 per cent in its first MCD election, and it got only 48 wards with only 9.9 per cent less vote share than the BJP. Similarly, the Congress had a vote share of 21.1 per cent and got only 30 seats.

So the AAP+Congress got a combined total of 47.3 per cent of the vote share - 11.3 per cent more than the BJP's vote share. This is one of the negative factors in a first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system that many countries have. A sizeable number of nations have gone in for proportional representation system.

So the hype of the media and the Sangh Parivar has been heightened by disregarding the statistics of the actual votes counted, though the AAP has done its own cause considerable harm.

Why reduce the narrative of AAP to garbage and mosquito-borne diseases with a warning that there could be deadly consequences?

Ironically, the official "Swachh Bharat" which also advocates the importance of a clean India is rhetorically more inclusive and positive, though the slogan has yet to be matched by action.

Earlier, AAP promised a waiver of house tax in residential areas, which MCD officials stated was against the rules. Later this was dropped. Another case of overkill.

Despite the media and Sangh assault, this has not been the kind of rout claimed, as the vote percentage figures show. Nor is there any reason for AAP and AK to consider their first outing in the MCD elections as a referendum, necessitating AK's resignation.

Did Modi resign after the mahagatbandhan's success in Bihar? So why double standards? But the fact that AAP leaders like Bhagwant Mann have debunked the EVM story, and stated that other factors were important, is just one sign of the profound disquiet in AAP and those who had high hopes from the party.

AAP, its supporters and the public of Delhi deserve better.

Also read: MCD election 2017 results: Kejriwal needs a 'Gujarat model' to beat Modi wave