" AAP and Arvind; the Promise and the Pitfalls " is the most definitive record of the new phenomenon in Indian politics; the Aam Aadmi Party. It explores, at multiple levels, what this party and its leadership means to India, the country's political system, societal values and the people. This exploration unravels a trajectory marked both by soaring hopes and aspirations as well as stinging disappointments and bitterness ; a tumultuous journey of an organisational entity that came into being as the political inheritor of the ideals and commitment of an inspiring anti- corruption social movement , its promise of real alternative politics on the basis of this inheritance , the emergence of India's first quintessential urban political party and the evolution and expansion into other realms including rural political spaces .

It is also a document of contemporary history underscoring the difference between rhetorical pronouncements on governance as part of agit-prop movements and the practical difficulties that impediment the fulfilment of the rhetoric when the agitationists sit on the seat of power. Through all this, the individual qualities and foibles of AAP's leadership also emerges, of course, with a special focus on the domineering personality of the party's supreme leader Arvind Kejriwal. At that level, “AAP and Arvind is also a story of petty individual tussles, intrigues, bitter departures and purges with significant implications about the practice of inner party democracy.

Many in the AAP leadership are driven by the belief that a " small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world and indeed it is the only thing that ever has ". Is this conviction good enough to usher and establish alternative political praxis in a complex country like India? " AAP and Arvind; the Promise and Pitfalls " probes this question intensely and comes up with some searing answers.

About the Author

Venkitesh Ramakrishnan is the Delhi based Senior Associate Editor of Frontline, English fortnightly published by The Hindu group of publications. As a journalist reporting and commenting on Indian national politics in its manifold dimensions Ramakrishnan's professional career spans 32 years in Print, Broadcast and Electronic media in various regional, national and international journalistic forums. With a “ringside view " of national politics and leadership for over three decades, his work is characterized by a unique stream of in-depth political analysis exploring trends and developments in terms of ideological and sociological premises. He has been following the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders even before its formal inception, right from its conceptual evolution during the Anna Hazare led anti- corruption movement.