India’s AAP has the chance to show it has the skills to govern

The anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party in India has won an election to rule Delhi. Whether it can turn that one-issue appeal into electoral success in the general election in May rests on whether it can govern effectively.

The results of the Delhi legislative assembly election have taken everyone by surprise. The year-old Aam Aadmi Party overshadowed the Congress party and is set to form the next government of Delhi. The party won 28 seats out of 70 seats – 20 more than the Congress party – largely thanks to the relentless anti-corruption campaign conducted by its leader Arvind Kejriwal.

The sudden rise of the AAP reversed the dominance of the Congress party and Bharatiya Janata Party in the state. As such, it could end up as a kingmaker at a national level, if the effect of its anti-corruption message retains its potency at the general election in May. Mr Kejriwa’s mentor, Anna Hazare, though he did not support the party, expressed pessimism about the party’s ability to bring change.

Forming the government and fulfilling the party’s promises, as laid out in its manifesto, are daunting challenges. The party is promising to provide free water to households, improve the sewage and health services infrastructure in the city, but its elected officials are unknown quantities, with little or no previous political experience. The AAP’s success shows Indians yearn for change, but the party has to quickly show that it has the political nous to make that happen.