Aam Admi Party’s poll focus is on states’ ‘basic issues’, not caste, religion

New Delhi: For next year’s Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has planned to focus entirely on addressing the basic problems of the people in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab and Uttarakhand. The party has claimed that instead of concentrating on caste politics and religion, it will ensure that all the basic demands of the people are met in the future.
In Uttar Pradesh, where caste and religion have allegedly played a dominant role under the reign of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Delhi government has promised to solve the basic difficulties of people. Contesting on all 403 seats, the AAP has also made sure that around 25% of the budget will be spent on education. While speaking to The Sunday Guardian, a social worker and the state president of AAP in UP, Sabhajeet Singh, said, “We are focusing on the fundamental problems like electricity, health, law and order, employment and education. We are also planning to implement the Delhi model in Uttar Pradesh. Currently, the Delhi government has planned to spend 25% of its budget on education. Our party has also planned to improve the hygiene and conditions of the schools.”
To highlight the issue of unemployment in the state, the party will take out a rally on 28 November. “We are planning to conduct a Rojgar guarantee rally. Our workers and party members are interacting with the people to understand the circumstances of the unemployed people. I believe that as an opposition, we have raised some core issues like unemployment, Covid scams, poor mid-day meals for children, and so forth. No party in UP has focused on the real problems of the state,” he also added. The party has also promised to provide 300 units electricity-free. However, the party has not yet declared the chief ministerial face in the state.
Similarly, the plans to focus on basic amenities will also be carried out in Uttarakhand as the state suffers due to poor geographical location and rocky terrains. AAP state president of Uttarakhand, Dinesh Mohaniya, said, “AAP is known for its credibility. Due to poor geographical location, most of the people cannot avail basic amenities like education, health.” Blaming the present government, he claimed that roads are not properly constructed, while mentioning that the health sectors work on a referral basis. “Since most of the hospitals keep on referring the candidates to other hospitals, the health sector here works on a referral basis. So, migration is a major issue in the state as the people are not able to access basic facilities,” he told this paper. As per the survey, the party expects 22% of the vote share in Uttarakhand, claimed by the sources close to AAP.
Ahead of the Punjab Assembly election, the AAP will start Mission Punjab from Moga, Punjab, on Monday. As per sources close to AAP, Lok Sabha MP Bhagwant Mann is highly popular in the state and has a strong chance to stand out as a CM candidate.
There has been some speculation that some new MLAs may leave AAP. The party has declared the list of 10 MLAs along with their seats—Harpal Singh Cheema from Dirba, Sarvjit Kaur Manuke from Jagraon, Aman Arora from Sunam, Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Barnala, Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo, Budhram from Budhlada, Jai Kishan Rori from Garhshankar, Manjit Bilaspur from Nihal Singh Wala and Kulwant Pandori from Mehal Kalan. All the candidates are first-time legislators.
“In Punjab, there are several issues, and the AAP will focus on corruption, health, education, electricity and employment. Also, the state is known for its drug problem. We will create a transparent and honest party that people can trust. Our party is working on ground levels, and we are carrying out a continuous process to connect with the people,” AAP MLA Arora from Suman told the paper.
However, ahead of the Assembly polls, former BJP leader Vishwajit Krishnarao Rane joined AAP. Recently, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal interacted with the taxi drivers in Goa and assured to form a corporation to meet the demands of the auto drivers. He also promised that the government would bear the medical expenses if a driver met with an accident.