After storming to energy in Punjabthe Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is now working to revive its presence in West Bengal and has introduced its plans to contest subsequent 12 months’s panchayat elections within the state.
A national-level AAP chief, nevertheless, mentioned the social gathering’s main focus stays on states similar to Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Though it might contest native physique polls in states the place sturdy regional forces are current — just like the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bengal — the main target in the intervening time would stay on creating an organizational presence there, added the chief, who didn’t want to be named.
“There is no point in making a push in states where strong regional players have been successful at keeping the BJP at bay,” mentioned the social gathering practical.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led social gathering first made its foray into West Bengal firstly of 2013, following its success in Delhi, and contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections within the constituencies of Kolkata North, Barrackpore, Howrah, and Raiganj. But after a debacle within the polls, the whole state unit folded up and merged with the BJP.
AAP leaders within the state who claimed to have joined the social gathering two to a few years in the past mentioned that they had been working since February 2020 to strengthen the organisation. In latest days, the social gathering has revived its actions in Kolkata. It organized a rally from town’s Girish Park space to Esplanade on March 13. The following day, the AAP Mahila Shakti, the ladies’s wing of the social gathering, introduced at a press convention in Kolkata that it had fashioned a state-level steering committee.
The AAP’s central command has additionally fashioned a five-member workforce that has been given the duty of coordinating with the social gathering’s state office-bearers and conducting doorstep campaigns. The social gathering has additionally began a “missed call” membership drive to construct up its help base within the state, taken to social media platforms to succeed in out to potential supporters and unfold its message, and is getting ready to reopen its state headquarters inside every week.
AAP state spokesperson Arnab Maitra, who can also be answerable for the social gathering in Howrah district, advised The Indian Express, “We had conducted a missed call campaign during the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement. The party is now taking it forward. We are trying our best to only include people with a clean background. Even when I joined the party, there was a scrutiny process after which I was allowed to join. People with corruption charges and a criminal background won’t get access to the party.”
Asked in regards to the social gathering’s plans to contest the panchayat polls, Maitra, who joined the AAP two years in the past, mentioned, “We know there might be violence throughout the panchayat polls, however that’s not on our thoughts. At current, we’re concentrating on strengthening our organisation, going to individuals, and asking for his or her vote primarily based on no matter now we have carried out in Delhi and in a 12 months’s time we might be exhibiting them the Punjab mannequin as properly. We are simply seeking to strengthen our base right here. What we wish to do is make schooling an element, and well being and unemployment a speaking level. We usually are not right here to problem any social gathering.”
An AAP chief mentioned on the situation of anonymity, “Without an organizational structure, a political outfit cannot survive no matter what. We have been working towards it for quite some time now. We have set up bases and are ready to contest the panchayat polls.”
But is the social gathering ready to make any electoral affect? “Now that the party is restructuring itself in Bengal, winning votes is not the agenda,” mentioned an AAP member who didn’t want to be recognized. “Our goal has all the time been good administration, good schooling, and good well being. We have seen the transformation of faculties in Delhi. It has to start out someplace in Bengal.”
Asked if Arvind Kejriwal was attempting to compete with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for a extra outstanding nationwide position, Maitra claimed, “We haven’t got a nationwide ambition. Neither is Arvind Kejriwal eyeing the PM put up nor can we consider that.”
Responding to AAP’s makes an attempt to once more get going within the state, TMC MP Santanu Sen mentioned the social gathering ought to focus on different states and miss West Bengal the place individuals solely belief Mamata Banerjee.
“If the Aam Aadmi Party is admittedly focused on ousting the BJP from India in 2024 then they need to strive campaigning in BJP-ruled states and never West Bengal, the place Mamata Banerjee has already defeated the BJP. Cutting throughout social gathering traces, virtually everybody within the state has benefitted from the schemes of the Mamata Banerjee authorities. So, they don’t even consider any social gathering other than the TMC,” Sen added.
BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya mentioned the Kejriwal-led social gathering’s makes an attempt to achieve a toehold within the state would show to be futile. “We have seen that when the AAP first got here to Bengal, they may not collect staff and so they went away. People have the best to contest elections from anyplace they need however it’s ineffective as they don’t rely in Bengal. What occurred to Mamata Banerjee in Goa? Her rivals have been Independent candidates. In Bengal, will probably be the identical for the AAP.”
— With inputs from ENS Delhi
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
