AAP puts Gujarat plans on hold after debacle in MCD elections

Consecutive drubbings in Goa and Punjab assembly elections and MCD elections in Delhi have put the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the back foot and the party is doing a rethink on its plans to contest assembly elections in other states, scheduled to be held later this year.

Taking the political fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party to the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party had decided to contest the high-stakes Gujarat assembly elections which are scheduled to be held in December, besides contesting in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh.

Repeated poll reverses has forced the rethink and the party leaders told Hindustan Times that the decision to contest polls in other states have been put on hold.

“We will continue to work towards national expansion by broadening our organisational network. But the decision regarding which state the party will contest next has been now put on hold. The party will hold a detailed discussion on the issue later,” senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh told HT.

As the Arvind Kejriwal government was locked in a bitter battle with the central government and the lieutenant governor on jurisdictional issues in Delhi, the party has been on the offensive and was planning aggressively to contest in Gujarat assembly elections.

Delhi labour minister Gopal Rai was made Gujarat in-charge, and he was camping regularly in the BJP-ruled state to expand its organizational base. On March 26, a state-level volunteers meet was conducted by Rai in Ahmedabad.

However, the political affairs committee of AAP on Thursday decided to appoint him convener of Delhi unit of the party a day after the results of the MCD elections were announced.

On whether a new person would replace Rai in Gujarat, Singh said, “All these issues would be decided later.”

Meanwhile, continuing the review of the MCD results, Delhi chief minister and AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal held meetings with the party legislators for the second day in a row.

“The CM met legislators in a batch of five and discussed issues related to their areas. The legislators were directed to produce a list of work pending in their area which they want the government to implement on a priority basis,” a party legislator said.