While Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal is campaigning across the country , volunteers and candidates in the “home” State are “missing” their star campaigner.
Dependent on his charisma, the seven AAP candidates in Delhi expect him to campaign for them too. But given Mr. Kejriwal’s engagements and his candidature from Varansi against Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the AAP candidates in the Capital may not be so lucky.
The leader is expected to go to the holy city in Uttar Pradesh, which will be a witness to one of the most anticipated contests in the general elections, on March 25. He is expected to announce his candidature against the Gujarat Chief Minister.
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According to AAP insiders, Mr. Kejriwal will camp in Varanasi for over a month, starting from April 10 , holding road shows and public meetings, going door-to-door to understand local issues and highlighting the “failed Gujarat model” in all Assembly constituencies under Varanasi.
A prominent AAP Delhi unit leader told The Hindu that the State unit was missing its star campaigner. “Yes, that is true. We are missing him and want him to campaign in Delhi as well,” he added.
Given the star power of the former Delhi Chief Minister, volunteers are not the only ones talking about him.
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During campaign too, people kept asking about his whereabouts.
“Where is Mr. Kejriwal? When will he come to Delhi? Why is he not coming to Delhi” are the questions volunteers have to face invariably in every constituency.
During the AAP’s campaign in the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency on Sunday, candidate Ashish Khetan’s campaign team faced the same question.
“When will Mr. Kejriwal come to campaign in Delhi? How can he leave Delhi?” asked a middle-aged shopkeeper in Naraina village, when Mr. Khetan’s team asked him to vote for the party.
“He will come to Delhi too. How can he not come here?” said a volunteers present at the spot.
“This is obvious that he will campaign in Delhi, but when he will do so is the question,” said another local AAP leader.