NEW DELHI: Ahead of Delhi Assembly polls that are likely to be held in a couple of months, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is working on an extensively designed outreach programme whereby the AAP is trying to bring on board several former Congress leaders who have “winnability” and a clean image as their selling point, sources have said.
Sources have confirmed that as many as 11 former Congress legislators and local leaders are in touch with AAP leaders and some of them may join the AAP soon. “The AAP is planning to take 9-11 former Congress leaders, including former legislators and local leaders on board. AAP’s plan is to fill the gap that has been created after rival legislators left the party. Currently, the party is looking for almost 18 new candidates who can contest in Delhi’s upcoming Assembly polls. However, the party is of the firm view that it will not compromise with its core value—winnability and clean image are the two factors which the leaders coming from outside will have to fulfill,” a source close to AAP told The Sunday Guardian.
The AAP’s outreach programme has already started showing results as former Congress MLA Parlad Singh Sawhney has already joined the party and several other leaders, including Arvinder Singh Lovely, are said to be in touch with Kejriwal.
“The AAP’s outreach programme has started showing results and Sawhney’s entry in the party is one example. By next month, many more leaders will join AAP. The party may field Sawhney from Chandni Chowk in the upcoming Assembly polls,” the same source cited above said. Sawhney was MLA from the Chandni Chowk Assembly from 1998 till 2015. In 2015, he was defeated by AAP candidate Alka Lamba.
While the AAP is working on the strategy of bringing several leaders from a rival party on board, many of its leaders have joined Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party as well. Recently, two of its legislators, Alka Lamba and Devinder Singh Sehrawat, left the party and joined Congress and BJP respectively. Earlier, BJP leader Vijay Goel had said that as many as 14 AAP leaders are in touch with him and they may join the BJP.
The AAP, which won 67 out of 70 seats in the last held Delhi Assembly polls, performed badly in the Lok Sabha polls held this year. The BJJP had won all the seats of Delhi in the Lok Sabha polls. The Lok Sabha polls results forced the AAP to redraw its campaign plan and now the party is using all its cards to woo electorates of the city.
From soft religion to development and from environment to invoking regionalism, The AAP is not letting any stones unturned to ensure its victory in Delhi.