Tracing AAP's journey: From fledgling to a national political party

Founded in November 2012 by Kejriwal and his then-companions, following the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement, AAP has lately come up as one of the strongest opposition if not the strongest against the ruling BJP.

Published : Apr 10, 2023, 8:36 PM IST

New Delhi: In a major milestone for Arvind Kejriwal and his cadres, Aam Aadmi Party or AAP was officially recognized as a national party by the Election Commission of India on Monday. AAP is currently in power in two states - Delhi and Punjab. In an order issued on Monday, the Commission elevated Kejriwal-led AAP to national party status.

Founded in November 2012 by Kejriwal and his then-companions, following the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement, AAP has lately come up as one of the strongest opposition if not the strongest against the ruling BJP. Let's trace the decade-old history of this party that started as a movement against corruption and has now become a core political party with soaring ambitions to rule the country.

November 26, 2012: Aam Aadmi Party formally launched by party convenor Arvind Kejriwal; eminent lawyer Shanti Bhushan makes first donation of Rs 1 crore.
2013: Rallies are organised across Delhi in 2013 to gather support and attack the Congress government in the Capital over inflated power bills.
December 2013: Delhi goes to elections. AAP makes a stunning debut and emerges as the second-largest party after the BJP in the elections. Delhi BJP meets then Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung. Refuses to form the government saying they do not have the numbers. The Congress, which won 8 seats in the Delhi election, submits a letter of unconditional support for the AAP to the L-G. AAP lays down 18 conditions for the Congress and the BJP for working together. Kejriwal seeks 10 days' time from the L-G to decide whether he will form the government in Delhi.
December 18, 2013: AAP announces public referendum to decide whether it should form the government in Delhi with Congress support.
December 21, 2013: Congress says support to AAP is 'issue-based' and not unconditional.
December 22, 2013: AAP decides to form the government in Delhi.
December 30, 2013: AAP announces 20,000 litres free water for households with meters.
December 31, 2013: Power rates halved for those consuming up to 400 units of electricity. CAG ordered to audit power companies.
February 14, 2014: Kejriwal resigns over inability to pass the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill. Claims it is difficult to take decisions with the Congress.
2014- 1 Crore members within a month Kejriwal resigns. AAP contests Lok Sabha Elections, Wins only 04 Lok Sabha seats out of 543 seats.
2015 Delhi Assembly Elections: An Election wave infavour of Kejriwal. AAP wins 67 out of 70 seats with a percentage of 54.3%
February 15, 2015: Forms government in Delhi by winning a whopping majority of 67 of 70 seats.
March 28, 2015: Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan are expelled from the party.
July 20th 2015: The launch of the first clinic in Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic. (Mohalla Clinics aim to make public healthcare more affordable and accessible by providing free health check-ups, consultations and medicines.).Many states such as Telangana and Rajasthan have adopted the model of Mohalla clinics.
The Mohalla Clinic project has been praised by Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former Director-General of World Health Organisation Gro Harlem Brundtland, with various world leaders seeing it as a move towards achieving better health coverage. Mr. Brundtland also visited one of the clinics Along with another former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, in 2019 and both were “deeply impressed.”
January 2016: AAP announces that it will expand beyond Delhi and contest elections in Punjab and Goa.
2016: Launching of Odd-even scheme to curb pollution in Delhi- While Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal used the odd-even scheme in the national capital for the first time in 2016. Started in 2016, the odd-even scheme is a car-rationing method where cars with odd and even number plates will ply on alternate days.
March 11, 2017: 2017 Punjab Assembly Elections: Comes within striking distance of national party with 6% vote share in Goa elections but fails.
April 13, 2017: AAP loses badly to the BJP-Akali candidate in the Rajouri Garden by-polls in Delhi.
April 26, 2017: AAP fares second after the BJP in the municipal elections
August 28, 2017: After a string of losses, the AAP finally reclaims the Bawana seat.
2018: AAP Enters Rajya Sabha with three members.
June 19, 2018: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called off his nine-day sit-in at the office of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to protest against an alleged strike by Delhi IAS officers. Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said the sit-in had been called off after bureaucrats started attending meetings at the Secretariat.
2019: A disaster for AAP in the Lok Sabha General Election, manages to win only one in seat.
Feb 2020: After a disappointing 2019 Lok Sabha elections were AAP did not lead in a single assembly constituency in Delhi. In Just nine months the AAP turned the tables on BJP by wrestling Delhi for the third consecutive time. It won 62 seats out of 70 Assembly seats.
2022 March 10th: Aam Aadmi Party clinches Punjab Assembly election by winning 92 seats out of 117 Assembly seats.
16th March 2022: Comedian-turned-AAP leader Bhagwant Mann was sworn in as the Punjab chief minister.
2022 07th September - Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a countrywide yatra from Hisar in Haryana September, as part of the party’s ‘Make India Number 1’ campaign.
2022 Gujarat Elections and AAP:, Aam Aadmi Party has promised government schools, free electricity, access to water, and free healthcare. The party has also promised a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 to all women above age 18 years if they are willing to accept such a grant.
November 04th: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal announced Isudan Gadhvi, 40, as Gujarat’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the AAP.
December 2022: Aam Aadmi party hopes of a strong performance in Gujarat polls are dashed they could only secure only 5 Assembly seats with 12.9% of votes. But it was now eligible to claim status for a National party.
On December 8, AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that his 10-year-old party has become a "national party" after it got almost 13 percent votes in the Gujarat Assembly elections.
April 10th 2023: The Election Commission granted national party status to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party.