1) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is facing a monumental crisis in Maharashtra where its state unit was dissolved in October 2015 and it has lacked a solid organizational structure since. 2) AAP received around 11.5 lakh votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, representing around 0.12% of the vote share, but it has struggled to sustain that initial enthusiasm and support. 3) AAP lacks credible leadership in Maharashtra comparable to Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi or Bhagwant Mann in Punjab, and has no one who can command a crowd as a dynamic leader, which is important for a national political party's ambitions.

1. Name: Ashay Kapse
Shades of AAP: Maharashtra
The crisisAAPfacesin Maharashtra ismonumental.InOctober2015, the party’sall powerful
Political ActionCommittee(PAC) dissolveditsMaharashtraState Unitand all its bodies.The state
unithad beenina limbofora longtime. Prominentfaceslike MedhaPatkarandstate convenor
Mayank Gandhi had resignedfromthe partyafterseniorleadersandideologuesof the party
YogendraYadav and PrashantBhushanwere removedfromthe party.Maharashtrawithitsrich
traditionof social movementswasconsideredafertile groundforapolitical partylike AAPwith
roots ina social movementtosucceed.Itsprospectstodayinthe state don’tlookpromising.
Speakingtopeople fromAAPdoesn’tgive the sensethatthe partyis inshamblesinthe state.Ankit
Lal, AAP’sSocial MediaHeadsays that a teamof observersis regularlyvisitingthe state andtheywill
submita reportto the national partyand decisionswill be takenbasedonthe report.Butthe fact
remainsthatfor 4 monthsnowthe party doesnothave a state unitinMaharashtra. For a state that
theirformerMaharashtra MediaSecretaryRubenMascarenhascalledthe thirdinsupportfor the
party,the situationisdire.The partyhasno organisationinMaharashtra.
The party won11.5 lakhvotesfroman electorate of 80 crore, an abysmal vote share of 0.12 % inthe
2014 Lok Sabhaelectionsin Maharashtra.Thisis still agoodenoughnumberfora new entrantin a
state rife withidentitypolitics.AbhayMokashi,aseniorex-journalistfromthe state says,“11.5 lakh
votesisdefinitelynotbad,butcan theysustainit? Theycreateda euphoria.Ohwe’re goingtobring
aboutchange.But that euphoriahasto sustain.InDelhi peoplegave themachance.But
Maharashtra is a differentballgame.”
The challengesforAAPinMaharashtra are multiple.Apartfromalack of a solidorganisational
structure,the party hasstruggledovercoming animage of beingaNorthIndianparty.Mascarenhas
thoughcontends thisnotion,“The parameterforwhetherapartyis NorthIndianor regional or
whateveristolookat its leaders.AndtodayIcan veryproudlysaythat a majorityof my leaders ona
state level includingmyselfare Maharashtrians.Whenyou’re havingapublicmeetinginMumbai
witha verybroad sprinklingof people (it’sdifferent),butotherthanMumbai,everyotherplace we
have a discussioninMarathi.Evenour State Executive Meetings’ proceedingsare conductedin
Marathi.”
The party alsohas a lackof credible leadership inthe state.AAPinDelhi andnationallyhave a
charismaticleaderinArvindKejriwal.Similarly,inPunjab,the onlystate otherthanDelhi where they
have beenable tomake an impact,BhagwantMann is theirface.Havingcharismaticoratorsand
dynamicleadersisimperative forapolitical partywithnational ambitionsintoday’sIndia.AAPisin
dearthof suchleadersinMaharashtra. Theystate party hasno one who can letalone captivate but
evencommanda crowd.WhenaskedaboutthisMascarenhas says,“It takestime (forleadersto
grow).Who knows,withtime RubenMascarenhascouldemergeasa leader.”
AAPhas hadsome minorsuccessesinthe cityof Mumbai though.Ananti-corruptionhelpline they
startedfor Mumbai was well receivedandtheirparticipationinthe campaigntosave AareyColony
was consideredsuccessful.Butthese successes are few andfar.The momentumbuiltisquicklylost.
Mokashi thinksthe party will die anatural death.Thatalthoughisa real possibility,couldturnoutto
be false if the party winsthe PunjabAssemblyElectionsin2017. The partyplanson contestingonall
the seatsin the 2019 Maharashtra AssemblyElections.A wininPunjabcouldgive the partyin
Maharashtra some well neededmomentum.Mascarenhasoptimisticallysays,“Ijustthinkthat,as a

2. Name: Ashay Kapse
party we are only3 yearsold.We are just3 years old.The pointI’mmakingispolitical partiestake
some time,andgive ussome time.The babyhas now not onlycrawled,walked,itisnow sittingin
the chair of Delhi,managingpower.Iappeal toeveryone togive ussome time andwe will definitely
deliver.”Perhapstime isall theyneed.