Celebration on the streets as AAP wins in Delhi, February, 2015. Demotix/anil kumar shakya. All rights reserved.On 14 February, Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as the Chief Minister (akin to the role of a mayor in most cities) of Delhi exactly one year after he resigned from the position following only seven weeks in office.
It is estimated that the swearing in ceremony was attended by approximately 100,000 people following a landslide win by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that Kejriwal leads. The AAP won 67 out of 70 seats, the highest proportion ever by any party in Delhi elections.
Why did Delhi’s electorate of 13 million voters choose to vote so unequivocally for a politician that had seemed to let them down by resigning so quickly when last in power? While analysis on the election results has proffered a range of arguments from leadership style to anti-incumbency factors, one reason that stands out is that the AAP appeared to care and engage more with non-elite voters in the city on issues that really matter to the majority: water, electricity and basic public services. And this reason has implications for the ‘smart city’ agenda in India but also for cities and urban politics elsewhere.
