Thread by @roshankar

Bypoll results of AAP today are important for Delhi's future. These victories tell a story of ideological support and grassroot governance. It's not like any other municipal election in India where the incumbent state government has an advantage. Delhi's not like any other state.

The definition of the State is a monopoly over violence. In Delhi, Police is with the BJP and MHA at GoI, LG controls IAS officers who run election for ECI/SEC and local incumbent in the MCD is the BJP. Over years, AAP has carved a niche through delivery and communication.

For instance, Delhi has had no Delhi Government being formed by the BJP since 1998. 23 years they've been out of government.

And yet, they've ruled the roost at the city corporation level, with every Mayor and committee dominated by BJP.

In 2017, they won 180+ out of 272.

10% less people in total had voted in the municipal polls, some Delhiites bought into the fake media narrative of Punjab, the loss made us an orphan in more ways than one and many bureaucrats/officers saw winds going against us and actively helped the BJP win at the local level.

For instance, valve operators in DJB switched water supply around elections at the instructions of BJP district president or corporator. The solution we came up with was to increase the water supply and max out distribution not politicize. People appreciated us behind our back.

A large percentage (>30%) of people in surveys said that MCD or Committee or the Kameti for Teh Bazari folks was a part of the Delhi Government. Myths take daily persistence and proof to dispel. Ground mobilization and investigative policy PCs by @ipathak25 set the tone for AAP!

The city has been silently thinking about itself, its stories and more importantly its future. Riots in NE Delhi and the handling of the Covid pandemic has shown people that AAP cares and even if it isn't perfect, it tries harder than anyone else. More than enough for now.

I must make special mention and thank leaders and MLAs like @ipathak25, @Saurabh_MLAgk and many new local district or ward leaders who have come up to speak about issues like property tax to professional charges to garbage to air pollution to fiscal imprudence and exposed MCD.

While these bypolls in no way are representative of what could happen in 2022, esp considering the number of corrupt financial futures that will be at collective risk, I hope it encourages more good upstanding citizens to come into politics and not socially distance from it.

There's a great opportunity to create an ecosystem of civic leadership with the MCD polls coming up in less than a year. Women will contest half these seats and they must be judiciously utilized to change the patriarchal nature of power in general. Persist to build muscle.

Honest politics and good policy is when you bleed money, status and power like PayPal to build network effects. It's not venture funded but has personal opportunity cost. It ends up making politics and policy a positive sum game, where it's far greater than the sum of its parts.

AAP in municipal polls in different cities and towns shows us that there is a path to a democracy from the grassroots and where public problems exists. It's just going to be a difficult path amidst a lost cause of a social project. But aren't those the ones worth fighting for? :)