AAP gears up for state polls, to test water at 100 seats

NEWDELHI: We (AAP Rajasthan) were being written off as a dumping yard. But our student’s wing, contesting for the first time in Rajasthan, won president’s posts in 12 colleges.

KUMAR VISHWAS, AAP leader

On a high after its ‘better-than-expected’ performance in the recently-concluded Rajasthan students’ union polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is all set to test waters in the state’s assembly elections slated next year.

Led by Kumar Vishwas, who took over the reins of the state unit four months ago as a tradeoff for not quitting the party, the AAP will start campaigning at 100 of the total 200 assembly seats.

“We (AAP Rajasthan) were being written off as a dumping yard. But our student’s wing, contesting for the first time in Rajasthan, won president’s posts in 12 colleges. This has not happened in any of the 19 states where the party has a presence. This is a certificate for our volunteers and our strategy of going back to the basics,” Vishwas said Monday.

The poet-politician was in Delhi to preside over a meeting with 500 AAP poll observers who would be part of Rajasthan campaigning.

Having fielded 83 candidates, the party’s student wing – Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) – won president’s posts in eight colleges in the union elections last month. In all, 50 candidates won posts in colleges, though it could win any post in the universities.

Vishwas, however, said that instead of aiming at the number of seats, AAP, as it has been doing, wants to practice ‘vikalp ki rajneeti’ (alternative politics).

“To begin with, the observers who were present in the meeting have been assigned 100 assembly seats that they have to work on. In next six months, we would also constitute committees that would select the candidates,” Vishwas said. On issues that the party wants to highlight, Vishwas said focus would be primarily on farmers, students and women.

“In December, we will organise a farmers’ rally in Jaipur. We will also promise to work towards tackling the liquor consumption among women and empowering the student politics,”

Vishwas said, adding that the party would also highlight its Delhi governance model to seek votes.

“I will start camping there in January. AAP leaders in Delhi would also campaign,” he added.