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Three, location, location, location. Politics is like real estate. It’s about ‘where’ not ‘what.’ Anna gets all the attention for fasting on a public dais in Jantar Mantar while Irom Sharmila wastes away in a hospital in distant Imphal. Location has now become Hazare’s big disadvantage. Without a presence in Delhi, he is out of sight and out of mind. Kejriwal, in comparison, has firmly hunkered down in the capital, which remains his primary stage, irrespective of detours to Haryana, Farrukhabad et al. It will also be the arena for his political party’s entry into electoral politics. No election in Delhi is local.

Ralegan Siddhi once burnished Anna‘s reputation as a simple man of the people, underscored his folklike charms. But by remaining in the village, he has the added burden of making every Delhi visit count. And when one such visit fizzles out — as this one did — it becomes twice as hard to ensure that anyone will pay attention the next time he is in town.

He did announce plans to set up a Delhi office in his presser, but mere boots on the ground won’t do the trick. He needs a true comrade-in-arms with the political talent of a Kejriwal to make sure that he and his movement remain in the spotlight. None of the names mentioned as prospective allies — be it Kiran Bedi or VK Singh — possess those skills. Worse, they will be competing with Kejriwal for the very same eyeballs on the very same issue.

Four, aim first, recruit later. Anna‘s press conference may not have offered much by way of information, but it revealed a critical blind spot: ignorance of the first rule of political activism. In the wake of the movement split, Hazare has focused on recruiting: urging people to sign up as volunteers on his blog; and restructuring: reconstituting the IAC panel with new members.

All this reorganising will, however, fail without clear defined, achievable goals. Why would anyone sign up to join the Anna bandwagon when they don’t know what he plans to do? Yes, he wants to launch an apolitical anti-graft movement, but aimed at doing exactly what? He won’t run for elections or fast again. And he has not indicated any plans to take to the streets. In which case what are people volunteering for? The Lokpal agitation gained momentum, crowds, and celebrity endorsements after it was launched, as the small gathering in Jantar Mantar grew into a mass phenomenon in Ramlila. Anna now wants to put the cart before the horse, pull in the crowds and big names before he launches his movement.

Right now, Anna seems like a good man with a cause, but without a battleplan. And that makes him far less attractive than Kejriwal to any aam aadmi wanting to join the anti-corruption crusade. Kejriwal always offers his followers a clear plan of action: come to the fast, take to the streets, and soon, join the party cadre to win an election. People don’t join movements without something to do.

Back in the glory days, the relationship between Anna and Arvind was simple. One was the rock star, the other his manager. Kejriwal was the brains behind Hazare’s affable brawn, sometimes lauded as a genius, other times dismissed as a controlling stage-mom. No one expected him to take centre stage. Now he has, and successfully so. Kejriwal will never inspire the cult-like adulation that Anna once enjoyed. And he may never attract the kind of A-list endorsements or allies because he is a bit of a loose cannonball. But he doesn’t need to because in Indian politics, political smarts apparently trumps personality. Who knew!