The Kejriwal model of political overreach

New Delhi: CM Arvind Kejriwal may be carrying high the flag of his achievements in Delhi as a pan-India template for ‘making India number one’, but between the lines it is clear that simultaneously, he is also trying to establish his political heft far beyond the confines of Delhi. Boosted by AAP’s success in Punjab and some substantial foray in parts of Gujarat, along with positive trends in Himachal and Haryana, Kejriwal is clearly seeing a possibility of a greater national role for himself after the 2024 polls. The Opposition is still disunited and Kejriwal might fill in the gap of a leader who can pull up a coup de grâce to offer an alternative at the Centre as a non-BJPnon-Congress force. Kejriwal’s fame has rested largely on changing the face of government school education in Delhi. He is now leveraging this to extend his influence in other parts of India. He may yet be subtle in his moves, camouflaging his political ambitions with his Make India Number One campaign, yet if one keeps track of the run-up to the 2024 general elections, Kejriwal’s actions show a pattern and a plan in not only their timeliness but also in their impeccable PR projections.

In his seemingly innocuous emphasis on spreading the light of education, Kejriwal is only building his egalitarian image for larger acceptance across regional trappings, an important cog in projecting himself as the future PM. His Make India Number One campaign may have failed, but it has given him greater maneuvering space and operational legitimacy in people’s psyche. He not only poked Assam CM by tactfully playing up his education model as a recipe for improving Assam’s scenario and attracted much social media currency, Kejriwal also warmed up to CM Stalin in Tamil Nadu and successfully foisted upon him his reformatory image. These are all efforts in same direction— an imagebuilding exercise.