AAP struggles in city, fails to reach 1 lakh members mark by Jan 26

After getting a good response from the city residents, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is now struggling with members' enrollment in Chandigarh.

The party, which had set a target of making 1 lakh members in the city by Republic Day, has been able to make only 30,000 odd members.

After the January 12 rally in the city, which was addressed by party national executive member Yogendra Yadav and got a good response, the party had announced that on the line of its national membership drive in which 1 crore members were to be registered by Republic Day, the city unit would make 1 lakh members by January 26.

Party sources blamed the poor response from the residents to infighting among its members in the city unit and developments in Delhi which gave bad publicity to the party. The party on January 12, in its first rally, had enrolled nearly 2,000 members. Within five days of launch of party's activities in the city, AAP had registered nearly 10,000 members by the time it held a rally on January 12.

"Volunteers are working as they were working previously. But, I think certain developments in Delhi like AAP MLA Vinod Kumar Binny's episode and other developments have gone against the party," a senior volunteer told HT.

Another leader who wished not to be named said the target was unrealistic as party workers merely got 15 days for the membership drive.

Party's central observer, Chandigarh, Rajeev Godara, also admitted that initially, there was lack of coordination among party workers. "Everything has been sorted out now. Volunteers are continuing with membership drive across the city. Nearly 32,000 members have been made so far," he said.

When asked why the party failed to get 1 lakh members upto January 26, Godara said people in large number were joining the party and the final figures would only come out when they have all the details of online members and those who took membership by SMSes.

He denied that support to the party was waning in the city. Godara also added that the party would now start a door-to-door campaign in the city to enroll more members.