Congress pins hope on AAP to check BJP in cities

New Delhi, Jan 6: With Aam Aadmi Party deciding to go national, Congress is staring at the usurpation of its "aam aadmi" slogan but with a fervent hope that the newbie can stop the BJP in cities as it did in the recent Delhi elections.

There was a sense of inevitability in the growing visibility of AAP following its victory in Delhi and its national ambitions but its decision to contest a big chunk of Lok Sabha seats is set to add uncertainty to the settled battlelines in these constituencies.

The rising clamour over "aam aadmi" comes with the irony that it was Congress that coined the slogan "Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath" which was also credited with its victories in 2004 and 2009. AAP's success in convincing the voters that it represents their mundane worries over corruption and services has taken the sheen away from Congress's claims.

Congress's failure in December state polls to win over the poor with UPA's 'welfare schemes' underlines that its task on 'aam aadmi' front may be difficult in future, set to be made tougher by AAP's campaigning on the same plank.

AAP threatens to dent Congress's core supportbase — the poor and dalits — as it did in Delhi, especially after the Delhi results have made it a talking point nationally. The ruling party is only assured on the Muslim front because of the presence of HIndutva strongman Narendra Modi as PM candidate of BJP, a belief based on party's voteshare in Delhi's minority-dominated seats.

But Congress seems to have a gameplan behind supporting AAP in forming the Delhi government despite suffering heavily at its hands.

A hope has taken root that AAP could be the second buffer against BJP. The failure of Narendra Modi-led saffron outfit in stopping a large chunk of voters from backing AAP has exposed the principal opposition's limitations.

The post-Delhi mood suggests that AAP has gained among the middle classes and the urban poor nationally.

Congress sees this situation to its advantage. It hopes that if Arvind Kejriwal's candidates can tap into the urban voters who otherwise are expected to drift to BJP, Congress can gain indirectly.

The ruling party is placed weakly in cities, evident from the prevailing anti-incumbency against the Centre as witnessed in the recent assembly results as well as from the fact that inflation and corruption are bigger issues in the urban centres.

This has put a serious question mark on Congress that swept the cities in 2009 - winning all seven seats in Delhi and six in Mumbai besides those in other states. The cities hold the key to BJP's bid to dent the Congress strength.