Is the Aam Aadmi Party on course to become India’s next main political opposition?

The AAP is eyeing the role of a key national player, with Kejriwal as a possible challenger to Modi, as the party expands its footprint across the country, Sravasti Dasgupta reports

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal is fast emerging as a possible challenger to India’s prime minister Narendra Modi (Getty)

Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) founder Arvind Kejriwal made the bold declaration early last month that his political outfit would not align with any other party for the upcoming national elections.

The announcement revealed a risky approach, unlike any other taken by the opposition, to deny prime minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a third term in power from 2024.

The comments underline the AAP’s ambition to position itself as the alternative to the ruling BJP in India, right after it became the only regional party in the country to hold power in two states, passing a litmus test that proved its national aspirations.