<b>Shekhar Gupta:</b> Nota for 1984 - Why AAP lost Punjab

AAP lost because it took a communal view of the state, stirred old anger, and embraced radicals

That defeat is an orphan is a very old truism. I might have had that metaphor on my mind because I am reading British journalist Myra MacDonald’s book by the same name, on Pakistan’s recent history. But equally, the thought would have occurred to me also, reflecting on the setbacks Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suffered in Punjab and Goa.

 While in Goa their flight had obviously stalled, in Punjab even its rivals and critics (including this columnist) expected it to do better. First, or second, I had said, but honestly, I saw it at least a strong second,