Unlike the 2013 manifesto, which had almost similar promises and plans, this time Arvind Kejriwal has not set tight deadlines for implementation.

The biggest take away from the AAP manifesto released on Saturday (January 31) is that it is old wine in old bottle, but this time there is no expiry date.

Unlike the 2013 manifesto, which had almost similar promises and plans, this time Arvind Kejriwal has not set tight deadlines for implementation.

When he came to power in 2013, Kejriwal was forced to hit the ground running, primarily because he had not only promised to implement lots of new policies, he had told everyone that he would do it within hours of taking oath.

Free water in 48 hours, cheaper electricity within weeks, Jan Lokpal within 15 days; Kejriwal had set almost impossible deadlines and then paid a huge price trying to fulfil them in a hurry. This year, most of the promises are back in the AAP manifesto. But Kejriwal will take his own sweet time to implement them.

For a common man, a poll manifesto is like a prospectus or an offer document. Except for the patient few in the rival parties, analysts and a few journalists, nobody takes the trouble to read them or look at the fine print.

So, political parties fill them up with recycled promises, unimplementable schemes and some political fantasies. Once the election is won, the manifesto is dumped in cold storage, only to be de-frosted and served afresh in the next election.

Yet, people do not forget the basic and the biggest promises made by political parties. Narendra Modi, for instance, is still synonymous with the dream of bullet trains, clean Ganga and action on black money. Kejriwal, similarly, is synonymous with free water, cheaper electricity, Jan Lokpal and the promise of a secure, safer Delhi.

But, if you vote for Kejriwal this time, there is no guarantee if he will keep his promises as soon as he comes into power. He may roll them out in a phased manner, keeping some of them even for the final year. Conditions also apply.

The reason is simple: he doesn’t have the Budget to finance his schemes. The state’s annual budget is just around 37,000 crore and its tax revenues in 2013 were a paltry Rs 30,000 crore. In addition, some of his plans would be impossible to implement if the government at the Centre doesn’t help him.

“Phekne mein Kejriwal ne Modi se bhi aage nikal gaya. 40000Cr ka Budget mein 12lac Cr ka promise kar dala. Wah,” @DrunkVinodMehta quipped after the manifesto was released.

Others pointed out the sheer magnitude of cost of some of his plans.

A few days ago, the Maharashtra government decided to expedite plans to set up nearly 6000 CCTV cameras in the city, a project that has been pending since it was conceived after 26/11. It is expected cost the government a whopping Rs 950-crore.

Even if the costs come down by 50 percent under Kejriwal’s Delhi government, the CCTV promise alone will cost Delhi around 1,187,50 crore.

The AAP may have its own estimate; it may have devised a way to cut the costs drastically. Yet, for a state that has access to just Rs 40,000 crore, the CCTV promise will take decades to fulfil.

Many other promises: full statehood, one-rank-one pension —can crash at the gates of the Parliament since they will require the Centre’s cooperation and approval. So, to implement them, Kejriwal will have to either mend his relations with Modi or wait for a friendly government in 2019.

No wonder there is no deadline this time.

All said, the manifesto is impressive because it has painstakingly listed all the problems people in Delhi face along with solutions, even if they look financially unviable. It shows that Kejriwal’s party has thoroughly studied Delhi, spoken to its people and identified their problems. The AAP has shrewdly promised something to almost everybody, thinking even about the proverbial last man in the queue.

If he manages to fulfil them, Kejriwal will pull off of a miracle. Else, it will be political suicide. Wisely, he has asked for a long rope this time.