On govt,AAP MLA has an answer from public:’Why the question?’

On December 4,Bhardwaj,32,defeated BJP heavyweight Vijay Kumar Malhotra’s son Ajay Malhotra by around 13,000 votes in what has long been considered the BJP bastion.

But if Bhardwaj is back pressing flesh,there is a reason. In the new politics of Delhi,AAP finds itself in what has become the unenviable position of trying to form the government. But in the new politics of Delhi,it has left the decision to the people — asking them to tell it what to do,through SMSes and jan sabhas.

At 6.30 on a foggy Friday morning,Bhardwaj,along with a few local AAP supporters,holds handmade placards saying ‘Thank you’ at the Jahanpanah City Forest gate in Alaknanda,even as he hands out pamphlets asking ‘Should the Aam Aadmi Party form the government in Delhi?’.

“Please make the government. Even if you fill six of the 18 promises,people will give you thrice the number of votes in the next election,” one man says. His wife,however,quickly adds,“Don’t take help from the Congress or the BJP. Your fight had been against these two parties.”

That may precisely be the dilemma staring AAP in the face,but Bhardwaj — visiting various localities either to thank people or to mobilise them for the jan sabhas — doesn’t show it.

Instead,listening patiently to all the arguments,he urges people to express their opinions,through SMSes or in the jan sabhas. At one point,he admonishes a volunteer who tries to explain to a resident the need for AAP forming the government.

Explaining the party’s decision to hold a “referendum”,Bhardwaj says,“If you look at the Jan Lokpal movement or the manner in which the party functions,you’ll see that it has been people driven. Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare are just the faces. The party primarily relies on a large number of volunteers. So it is very important for the party to work on strengthening its ties with the people. Holding jan sabhas is one way of doing this.”

He also defends the time being taken by AAP to make up its mind. “Look at the number of constituencies where the party has to reach up to 1.2 lakh voters. Getting suggestions from people could not have been carried out in a day or two. People would have further alleged that we went to areas with AAP supporters. We feel it is the best possible way in which people can participate in a democracy,” Bhardwaj says.

It is only after nearly two hours that the MLA makes a brief stop-over at his residence in Sheikh Sarai,still greeting people as he hops inside. “I make it a point to meet everyone,” he says. “Although we have gotten busy after the elections,I don’t want people to think I have forgotten them.”

At Sheikh Sarai,Bhardwaj walks past boundary walls covered with posters. A BSP poster,carrying images of Mayawati and the party’s Greater Kailash candidate Mukesh Bhardwaj,thanks the residents. The BJP one depicts its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi,along with Ajay Malhotra. Bhardwaj points to a poster and says,“These have come up in various parts. The BSP candidate did not even get 1,000 votes.”

Another poster by an organisation called the Jan Shakti Morcha warns against AAP,alleging that the party has misled people and caused political instability in Delhi. “This organisation is a front of the BJP. After the results were declared,these parties have started alleging all sorts of things. In Shahpur Jat,a ditch was dug up and left uncovered. People were told it had been done on my orders,” Bhardwaj claims.

With a B Tech degree from IP University in Delhi and a law degree from Osmania University,Bhardwaj was working as a project manager at a multinational in Gurgaon before he became a full-time AAP worker. It was in June that he resigned from his job. “He has always been involved in social work. We are lucky that he got an opportunity to serve the people,” says wife Shivani Bhardwaj.

Around 11 am,as Bhardwaj takes off for another round of frenetic campaigning to mobilise people for the public meetings scheduled for the weekend,he gets conflicting opinions again.

“Earlier you had said that you will not give or take support from the Congress or BJP,but the situation has changed now. You should not let this opportunity go,” a shopkeeper in Savitri Nagar says.

While most people approach Bhardwaj with opinion on whether his party should form the government,some come with their problems. A hawker tells him there is very little space to park his cart. “Once I take my oath as an MLA,I will take some measures,” Bhardwaj assures them.

At 1.30 pm,the party decides to break for lunch,followed by two more door-to-door campaigns. “There is still a little confusion among people,” he admits. “Most people who are sceptical of Congress support to AAP are hardcore AAP supporters. They fear that the Congress will withdraw support. This apprehension is not baseless.”

Does he fear that AAP is falling into a trap laid by the two political parties? “There is a certain amount of apprehension,” Bhardwaj concedes. “These parties might create problems if we want to carry out our promises. But we will tackle them.”