For Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi is still far away

One hundred days into governance, just about half of Delhi approves of the job Arvind Kejriwal is doing as Chief Minister. instaVaani polled 435 people in Delhi to know their opinion on the Kejriwal's performance. 

When respondents were asked if they approved of Kejriwal's work as CM in the first 100 days of governance, here's what they had to say:

The Delhi CM has made headlines frequently, with statements comparing his performance against PM Modi's, his handling of internal dissent, and his on-off relationship with the press. More recently, he has been up in arms against Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung over bureaucratic appointments. The Delhi CM is finding it hard to resist his penchant for drama. Drama is probably resulting in division of opinion. While political rhetoric necessitates theater, Kejriwal should be more careful in picking his battles. He seems to have erred at least twice - in failing to stop the expulsion of former colleagues.

Here's what people had to say about his treatment of his colleagues and the press.

55 per cent of the respondents in a poll felt he behaved like a dictator then, and in targeting the press over perceived unfair reportage, 65 per cent disagree with Kejriwal's views on the press.

That said, the CM seems to have maintained his credentials of an anti-corruption crusader:

instaVaani also asked respondents if the Delhi chief minister has effectively handled the problem of VIP culture in Delhi. This was one of the core promises of AAP, and at the heart of their 'aam aadmi' campaign.

While approval ratings give us a sense of the favorability of leaders, they have to be deconstructed in a larger context. Obama's approval ratings fell to 50 per cent in ten months after he took over as President and have declined ever since. That did not stop him from getting re-elected because the opposition could not match the creativity and sophistication of his campaign.

Obama has also done a fine job of keeping his support base in tact. Under his stewardship, "OFA" has become an adaptive movement - from Obama For America (to elect Obama) to Organising For America and Organising For Action (to push legislative goals).

In India, what both Modi and Kejriwal have exhibited is an ability to craft successful, personality-centric modern campaigns. However, Kejriwal is struggling to translate campaign momentum into issue driven movements. Modi has been inventive with ideas like Swachh Bharat that will consolidate and perhaps expand his support base. More generally, he has been statesmanly in his demeanour - avoiding conflict and unleashing charm.

Much like Modi, Kejriwal has a wonderful opportunity to win more friends. He should make the most of it.