The Swaraj Abhiyan, which was launched last year, is all set to form a political party. Put together by former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and Professor Anand Kumar among others, the party now has its eyes on the city municipal corporation polls, and later the Punjab and Uttarakhand elections.
The decision to launch a political party was taken with nearly 93 per cent of the delegates present at a national convention of the Swaraj Abhiyan on Sunday. Of the 433 delegates, 405 voted in favour of launching the party.
Lawyer Kamini Jaiswal, journalist Sumit Chakravarty and former Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh Noor Mohammad have been appointed as Lokpal of the Swaraj Abhiyan.
While the party, along with its vision document and symbol, will be launched by October 2, the announcement assumes significance as its rival – the Aam Aadmi Party – is pulling out all stops to win the maximum number of wards in the MCD elections scheduled for early next year.
Speaking to The Hindu , Yogendra Yadav said that the Swaraj Abhiyan will fight the polls “to set an example of a truly transparent and democratic political party.” At the same time, senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the party will not have a “supremo culture”, hinting at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Mr. Bhushan and Mr. Yadav had earlier called AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal “an anarchist”, after which they were sacked from the party in April last year.
Asked about how they plan to mark a dent on the vote base of the AAP and BJP, Mr. Yadav said: “While the BJP faces strong anti-incumbency, the same feeling has also developed towards the AAP government in Delhi. People are tired of the child-like behaviour of the Delhi government where blame-game is used as a tool of evasion. As a party, we are taking the MCD elections very seriously,” Mr Yadav added.
He, however, clarified that the Swaraj Abhiyan will exist even after the new political party is launched.
Mr. Bhushan, who came with his father Shanti Bhushan, said: “The new party will not have a party supremo, which is why you cannot see a single picture of anyone on the banners. We don’t want to repeat the mistake the AAP made.”
“We want to ensure transparency not only in donations, but also in expenditure. We will also ensure that there is a proper grievance system and an internal Lokpal,” he added.
Suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi was also present at the event, but left just before the announcement. He, along with another party MP Harinder Singh Khalsa, was suspended by the AAP for aligning with Swaraj Abhiyan.
A six-member committee with Ajit Jha as its convener and Mr. Yadav as a member has been formed to take all decisions regarding the party.
