As political parties gear up for the upcoming election season, Maharashtra is set to get a new entrant in the fray. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) plans to contest 200 of the 288 Assembly seats in the State by forming a non-Congress, non-BJP ‘new front’.
The Delhi pitch
Brigadier Sudhir Sawant, the State convener of AAP, told The Hindu that the party will pitch the agenda of development proven by its government in Delhi to the people of Maharashtra, and stand firmly against the ‘crony capitalist’ Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“We have called for a meeting of all like-minded organisations on September 27 in Mumbai. We are building a new front, where we are calling on all non-Congress, non-BJP parties to join hands. AAP stands for change in policies and the way political system works. We will be the new front,” Mr. Sawant told The Hindu . He said that the party will contest all 36 Assembly and six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai in 2019.
Ward-level issues
The party claims to be working at the ward level in Mumbai, addressing people’s issues related to health, education and water.
Ruben Mascarenhas, convener of the AAP State Media Committee, said, “People may not believe us today, as our activities are not getting as much attention from the media. But the party’s strength will be visible in the elections for sure.”
Boosting local strength
With no political history in the State and its earlier plans of contesting Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls turning out to be non-productive, AAP now claims that it is concentrating on strengthening its local leadership. “Till now, we have formed nearly 100 Assembly committees, of which 30 are in Mumbai. We are not focusing on setting up district committees, but Assembly committees,” Mr. Sawant said.
He said nearly 70% of the cadre which had deserted the party after 2014 has returned. “Yes, that was a setback. In 2014, the party had emerged from a movement, and today it is an established party,” he said.
State-wide campaign
The party will launch its State-wide ‘Parivartan Yatra’ in Mumbai on October 19. The yatra will travel to every tehsil and return to the city on November 26, marking Constitution Day.
Mr. Sawant said, “The promise of a secure life is an integral part of our 10-point programme for Maharashtra. We have an example of our work in Delhi to show to the voters here, in which changes have taken place in health, education, water and electricity sector. We will replicate Delhi’s success in Maharashtra.”
