"Time To Go National," Say AAP Supporters At Arvind Kejriwal's Oath

As Arvind Kejriwal took oath as Delhi Chief Minister for the third time on Sunday, many Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters said it is time for him to go national and his aim should now be to change the country's politics. 

Now, it is the time to move beyond Delhi and work towards changing the country's toxic political atmosphere, said AAP supporter Suman Rao, a construction worker from Bhopal. 

Waving the national flag at Mr Kejriwal's oath, another AAP supporter Ershan Khan said there is a reason why people are carrying the tricolour and not the party's flags. 

"It is because people now want to see Kejriwal as their national leader. The time to go national is now. The time to remove negative nationalism is now and only AAP can do that," he said.  

Rajshree Singh, another AAP supporter, said the party should now plan to fight in other states and expand their reach. 

The AAP is at present recognised by the Election Commission as a state party. It emerged as the principal opposition in Punjab in 2017.
However, its national ambitions suffered a setback when its campaigns in Goa and in the last two Lok Sabha elections were unsuccessful.

It won four Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in 2014 and just one in 2019, while Delhi voters rejected the AAP in both the general elections.

In 2014, Mr Kejriwal contested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from Varanasi and lost by over three lakh votes. 

Many saw a shift in the AAP's strategy after the party's drubbing in the 2017 civic polls in Delhi at the hands of the BJP, as it again focussed on its development pitch in the national capital.