Five years on, divided AAP now a depleted force
LOOKING BACK Of its 13 candidates, seven, including two of the four MPs, have either been ousted, have switched sides or are under suspension for ‘antiparty’ acts
CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided to contest around 100 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in a focused manner. Of these, 13 constituencies are in Punjab, the state where the party won all its four seats, out of the 400 it contested, as a rookie player in the 2014 parliamentary elections.
A lot has changed for the Arvind Kejriwal-led party since due to nonstop bickering, factionalism, suspensions and desertions with things only getting worse after its belowexpectation showing in the 2017 assembly polls even though it emerged as the principal opposition party in the state.
Of the 20 MLAs, eight have turned rebels. As a divided and depleted AAP set the ball rolling for the big electoral battle next year by starting process for selection of candidates, HT takes a look at its nominees of the 2014 parliamentary elections and where they are now:
CONSTITUENCY GURDASPUR
A former state convener, Chhotepur contested against BJP’s Vinod Khanna and polled over 1.73 lakh votes. He was expelled in August 2016 following a ‘sting’ in which he was allegedly shown accepting money from a party supporter. AAP leaders met him last month to persuade him to return to the party, but he is ‘undecided’ and has his own outfit. Chhotepur was a minister in the SS Barnala goverment from which he resigned following police entry into Golden Temple in 1986. STATUS: PRESIDENT, AAPNA PUNJAB PARTY
CONSTITUENCY JALANDHAR
A school teacher by profession, Jyoti, who belongs to Valmiki community, was fielded in the reserved constituency to take on seasoned players. She did fairly well, polling 2.54 lakh votes (about 25% of total votes polled) to take the third position, but fell out with the party leadership soon. Jyoti was “expelled” in April 2015 for her alleged antiparty activities. “They didn’t expel me. I quit the party,” she insists. In January 2017, she joined SAD and is not sure about contesting the upcoming polls. STATUS:SAD MEMBER
CONSTITUENCY KHADOOR SAHIB
A renowned exponent of Indian classical music and Gurbani kirtan, he was directly in contact with Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan and “volunteered” to contest from Khadoor Sahib. He got 1.45 lakh votes in the Akali stronghold, but fell out with the leadership immediately thereafter when he sought “autonomy” for the state unit. He was suspended in April 2015 and handed a notice. Though he gave a long reply, there was no response. STATUS: SUSPENDED AAP LEADER
CONSTITUENCY SANGRUR
Known for his side-splitting jokes and biting sarcasm, especially his trademark ‘kikli’ (a satirical speech), he won the seat by defeating SAD’s Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa with a record margin of 2.1 lakh votes. He has been blowing hot and cold, quitting the post of state president in protest against Kejriwal’s apology to SAD leader Bikram Majithia in a defamation case. Earlier, he was with Manpreet Badal’s People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) and had unsuccessfully contested from the Lehragaga assembly seat in 2012. STATUS: AAP MP
CONSTITUENCY FATEHGARH SAHIB
Khalsa, who joined AAP just weeks before the elections, romped home by a handsome margin, but fell out soon. He was suspended in August 2015 for revolting against the party leadership. Unsparing in criticism, he calls it a ‘nautanki’ party (one full of theatrics). A diplomat, Khalsa, while posted in Norway, had resigned from service in protest against Operation Bluestar in June 1984. He was Akali MP from Bathinda from 1996 to 1998. STATUS: SUSPENDED FROM AAP, MP IS NO MOOD FOR RAPPROCHEMENT
CONSTITUENCY PATIALA
One of Patiala’s best-known cardiologists, he sprung a surprise by defeating Preneet Kaur, an incumbent Union minister and wife of (present chief minister) Captain Amarinder Singh. He has been at loggerheads with Kejriwal and his team since and was suspended from the party three years ago. He floated Punjab Manch, a political action group in March 2018. AAP is trying to reconnect, but Gandhi doesn’t seem keen on reconciliation. STATUS: SUSPENDED FROM AAP, HE HAS HIS OWN OUTFIT