Kejriwal gears up to make inroads in Gujarat

NEW DELHI/GANDHINAGAR: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to contest next year’s assembly polls in Gujarat, party leaders indicated on Saturday, a move that would extend chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’ s political rivalry with Narendra Modi to the Prime Minister’s home state.

If the move comes through, Gujarat will be the third state outside Delhi where the AAP plans to flex its muscles next year after Punjab and Goa. Kejriwal is likely to visit Gujarat on July 8 to make the announcement, reports said on Saturday.

The AAP re-captured power in Delhi last year with a brute majority, winning 67 out of 70 seats in the city-state. The BJP managed to win the remaining three. The B JP is ruling Gujarat continuously since 1998 but has come under pressure in recent times after the influential Patidar community seeking reservation in jobs turned against the party it once supported. Kejriwal recently extended support to Hardik Patel, the jailed leader spearheading the quota stir.

While Matiala legislator Gulab Singh Yadav said the A AP will contest in Gujarat “for sure”, party spokesperson Ashutosh said the final decision will be taken in a meeting of its political affairs committee “soon”. “Assembly units in the 182 constituencies are ready. We have tremendous support from the public. Of the 45,000 booths, teams are ready in 50%. We are raring to go ,” Yadav said.

The AAP convenor in south Gujarat Kishor Desai too expressed confidence about the party contesting the polls. “Right now we are concentrating on solidifying our structure in the state.” Sources said Kejriwal will visit Surat on the July 9 and 10 on an invitation by the business community.

The party is likely to try and replica te its successful Delhi model by sticking to booth-level mobilisation. “We recently succeeded in getting a tariff hike in electricity brought down. We are participating in dharnas against illegal demolition of jhuggis and problems that affect people and the support is tremendous,” Yadav said.

However, some party leaders are also considering whether it will be possible to spread out so thin next year – both financially and organisation ally–as the party has already decided to contest the polls in Punjab and Goa.