Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)

 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP; transl. Common Man Party) is a political party in India, founded in November 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal and his companions.  It is currently the ruling party of two governments: Delhi, the capital territory of India, and the state of Punjab.  It styles itself as an alternative to the two predominant, national parties of India - the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress (INC).

 

The party came into existence following differences between Kejriwal and Indian activist Anna Hazare regarding the incorporation of electoral politics into the popular 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement that had been demanding a Jan Lokpal Bill since 2011.  Hazare preferred that the movement should remain politically unaligned, whereas Kejriwal felt the failure of the agitation route necessitated changes in governments.

 

Making its electoral debut in the 2013 Delhi Legislative Assembly election, AAP emerged as second largest party after BJP; neither of the parties had an absolute majority.  Consequently, AAP formed the government with support from INC members of assembly.  Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi, but his government resigned in 49 days after he could not pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the assembly, because of the lack of support from the INC.  In the following 2015 elections, AAP won 67 of the 70 seats in the assembly, limiting BJP at just 3 seats and INC with none and Kejriwal was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Delhi.  AAP lost all seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi to BJP in the 2019 national elections.  However, AAP defeated the BJP in the subsequent 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly election, winning 62 seats.

 

AAP cemented its popularity outside Delhi, when it emerged as the second largest party in the 2017 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, securing 20 seats.  It went on to win 92 seats in the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, following which its member Bhagwant Mann was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Punjab.  The party has significantly expanded its influence to Chandigarh and Goa as well.