The Aam Aadmi Party will enter the fray in the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency, the party district organisers said on Saturday.
The party will announce the candidate for the constituency in the next few days. “We have received about 30 applications and the applicants have been interviewed by party leaders in the State. The candidate will be announced soon,” said Michael Arokiasamy, District convenor of the party.
Speaking on the sidelines of a party meeting to finalise the office-bearers at the block level in the six Assembly segments of the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency, Mr. Arockiasamy and B. Radhakrishnan, district campaign head, said the party was attracting people from all sections of society in the district.
The block-level office-bearers would in turn create the organisational structure at the village level.
Asked what would be campaign issue of the party in the constituency, Mr. Arockiasamy said lack of development in Tiruchi would be one of the key issues apart from the party’s national agenda of fighting corruption and empowering people. “We will address farmers’ issues, especially sharing the Cauvery water for irrigation. Our promise is to set up a Central Water Authority and build more check dams to harness water for irrigation,” said Mr. Radhakrishnan.
About 15,000 members had enrolled in the district so far through online registrations and the enrolment would continue alongside the election campaign. On Saturday, the party members took out a rally from Cantonment to Puthur in the city as part of its efforts to reach out to the people.
The party plans to campaign village wise and door-to-door to reach out to people, the office-bearers said.
Mr. Arockiasamy said that party leader Arvind Kejriwal was likely to visit Tiruchi during his visit to the State from April 11 to 13.
“We are trying to organise a get-together of doctors, advocates, traders, non-governmental organisations, and farmers with Mr. Kejriwal,” he said.