AAP struggles to find foothold in HP, banks heavily on ‘Kejri magic’
SHIMLA: After its spectacular victory in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), looking for new frontiers to conquer and expand its footprint, announced its arrival in the political landscapes of Himachal Pradesh with an impressive roadshow led by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann at Mandi in April.
Kejriwal’s Kangra rally also drew a large crowd. However, on the organisational front, the party has not been able to maintain the momentum. It got its first jolt when its then state president Anoop Kesri announced joining the BJP, a day after the Mandi roadshow. The party dissolved its entire state unit and its senior leaders took matter into their hands with Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain taking the charge of state election.
In the beginning, a lot of young people joined the AAP, most of them from the CPIM, as the rigid communist leader was not ready to hand over the reins.
Months later, they are either seen quietly leaving the party or taking the backstage after not getting the push they were hoping for. In between, the arrest of Satyendar by ED dealt another blow to the AAP’S Himachal dream. The party recently appointed Surjeet Thakur as its state president, who was not known among the political circles until now. Surjeet, a lowprofile worker in the party, is known for his unquestioned loyalty towards the AAP bigwigs in Delhi and his devotion to the party.
“It’s the party of a common man. We do things as per the aspiration and desires of the common man. The AAP does not entertain people who offer to join the party with conditions. We are keen to revolutionise the politics in Himachal,” said Surjeet.
The biggest challenge the party now faces is the lack of a credible face to lead its campaign in Himachal. So far, bigwigs from the Congress and the BJP have stayed away from the AAP.