After assembly debacle, now AAP gears up for municipal elections
After its defeat in Punjab assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has started gearing up for municipal corporation (MC) elections in the state, which are scheduled to be held in July.
The party has constituted screening committees in Patiala to select probable candidates from 50 wards falling in Patiala (urban) and Patiala (rural) assembly segments.
AAP co-president Aman Arora held a meeting with party volunteers and workers of Patiala, to mobilise them for civic body elections, besides taking their feedback on party’s poor performance in recently concluded assembly elections.
“We have formed screening committees, which will work in coordination with district and zonal bodies to select candidates for better prospects of the party in civic body elections,” Arora said. He said AAP leaders and workers, who are already working in Patiala rural and urban constituencies, have been asked to strengthen the party in their respective areas.
“The required strategy to contest the civic body elections in the state will be prepared after re-structuring of party at zonal, district and local levels, the process for which is already on,” Arora said.
The AAP leader said party leaders are also trying to ascertain what went wrong during the assembly elections.
PARTY SAYS KEJRIWAL HAS BEEN REQUESTED TO START DIALOGUE WITH REBEL MPS DHARAMVIRA GANDHI AND HARINDER KHALSA
DIALOGUE WITH REBELS
On the issue of infighting in the party, Arora said AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal has been requested to initiate dialogue with party rebels, including Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi and Fatehgarh MP Harinder Singh Khalsa.
“Both of them are respected leaders of the party and no dialogue has actually been initiated so far to convince them to work for the party. Kejriwal has been requested to seriously consider state unit’s request to have dialogue with both these leaders,” he said. Arora admitted that the contribution of both these leaders to the party and society has been ignored.
On the alleged interference of central AAP leaders in Punjab affairs, Arora said the state leadership of the party is capable enough and taking all the decisions on their own.
CHHOTEPUR’S SACKING COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED: ARORA
The expulsion of former party president Sucha Singh Chhotepur was avoidable, Aman Arora said in Jalandhar. “During his tenure, Chhotepur really worked hard and his expulsion from the party was avoidable,” said Arora, addressing a press conference here. He said the leaders who have left the AAP, including Chhotepur, are always welcome to come back into the party.
“Anyone who has quit the party, be it a volunteer or a leader, can always come back. I will try to persuade them to return to the party fold,” he added. Arora also held the AAP leadership responsible for party’s defeat in the Punjab assembly elections. “Over-confidence led to many blunders and Chhotepur episode also led to the debacle.”