That is the main reason, he opted out from the party. Last year he had said that a lot of money is spent on elections and votes are purchased by the candidates and parties, that is why even he would get defeated, if fought an election. This fear kept him away from the electoral politics. Since Anna is not sure of the success of Arvind Kejriwal’s party, he asked him not to use his name or picture to promote his party. Anna does not want a taint of defeated leader in the election and hence he has maintained safe distance from the newly formed party.

Despite the opposition of Anna, a part of his movement has converted itself as a political party. This is the first instance in Indian politics, where a movement has converted itself into a party. India has witnessed movement against corruption in the past also and that movement affected the party system and elections. JP movement of 1970s was also targeted against corruption. That movement united majority of the political parties and a new party named Janata Party was formed by the merger of some anti Congress Parties. The combined strength of the constituent parties added by the movement paved the way for its success in Lok Sabha elections in 1977. In the late 1980s, there was another movement against corruption, which resulted into the mergers of some parties with Janata Dal coming into existence. With the support of right and left, Janata Dal dethroned the Congress from power in 1989 elections. Here, too, the combined strength of the constituent parties along with the support of movement and other non Congress Parties helped trounce the ruling party.

But the case of newly formed Aam Aadmi Party is quite different. It is not only new in name, but it is talking against all the existing parties. During the movement Anna was getting clandestine support of some existing political parties and their outfits. But the new party of Kejriwal is pitted against them now and it can hope only to face only resistance from them. Workers of many political parties and outfits were with the movement, but now they will not be with the party of the movement. Naturally, the party of Kejriwal is not going to have the same benefits, which were available to his movement, which he was launching under the leadership of Anna Hazare.

Theoretically electoral politics in India is run by a multi party system, but in politics it is the caste system, which is running the show. The support and votes are mobilized on the basis of caste and also on community. In fact the multi caste system has dealt a bloody blow to the multi party system of the party. Parties based on political ideologies have failed to expand and exist only because of this social system. New political party of Arvind Kejriwal has also to face the challenge of caste and communal politics. It is true, that a strong movement or strong emotions even neutralizes the caste sentiments of the votes, but this itself is a rare phenomenon.

After losing the support of Anna, Kejriwal has created an aura of his own and emerged as the third main crusader against corruption after Ramdev and Anna. He has come up with the revelations of many corruptions of the leaders associated both with Congress and BJP. Congress was trying to dub him as BJP agent, he has effectively rebutted this. BJP was trying to dub him as the Congress agent. He has been successful in rebutting this too by revealing the corruptions involving the son in law of Sonia Gandhi. BJP is more afraid of Kejriwal, because it thinks that his party will take away a sizeable number of anti Congress votes, which are otherwise likely to be cast in favour of the saffron party, in the states, where there are only BJP and Congress.

There is no denying the fact that weak interference of the third party only helps the party in power, where there are two dominant parties. So the BJP fear is not unfounded, but it can hardly do anything against Kejriwal, which has already hit the most sensitive part of the Congress by exposing Robert Vadra’s property business under state patronage.

Aam Aadmi Party of Kejriwal is now a reality. Though, almost all the political leaders of the existing parties do not attach much importance to the new party, it will be naïve to rule it out completely. The reason is very obvious. Many things are happening for the first time in India. Anna Hazare movement was of unprecedented kind in the post independent India. The participation of crores of people all over the country has shown the restlessness of the masses with the present system of governing. Again, though, India is a caste society, with the break up of the families and urbanization, the caste is loosing its traditional appeal. Many caste leaders have shown their true color to their own castemen by indulging in large scale corruption and nepotism. This may weaken the host of caste politics gradually in elections.

The first test of Aam Aadmi Party will be in the national capital Delhi. Assembly Elections of this Union territory will take place in next October and November. Till then Aam Aadmi Party has got sufficient time to prepare itself to face the elections. Kejriwal has even before the formation of his party has energized the local politics of Delhi by connecting the disconnected power connections and launching movement against the increased power tariff. His movement has partially succeeded too and the TRI was forced to revise a slab giving some relief to Delhites.

Delhi has been the centre of movement against corruption and it provides the best ground for Aam Aadmi Party, because the caste factor does not play much role in the elections. The local leaders of both Congress and BJP have hardly any local appeal and people are forced to accept another party in the process of defeating the other. There is good scope of a third party in Delhi. It may work in favor of Aam Aadmi Party. If Anna Hazare decides to campaign for the new party, its chance would even get brighter. That possibility cannot be ruled out, because Anna is dropping mixed hints so far as his future relation with Aam Aadmi Party is concerned. Anyway, Delhi Election is going to decide the future of Kejriwal’s Party. (IPA Service)