AAP to contest Shimla civic polls if held on party symbols: Jain
SHIMLA/NEW DELHI: Wary of defections after a string of its leaders in Himachal Pradesh recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided to contest the upcoming Shimla municipal corporation (MC) elections only if they are held on party symbols, party’s state in-charge Satyendar Jain said.
“The party has decided that AAP will contest the Shimla MC polls only if it is held on party symbols. But, from what we have learnt, the incumbent BJP government is not keen on holding the election on party symbols. It is likely that the MC elections will be held on the basis of candidates. If that happens, AAP will not contest the civic polls,” Jain told HT on Sunday.
Civic polls in Shimla are likely to be held in May as the current Bjp-led civic body’s tenure is slated to end on June 2. Shimla has 41 wards, of which 21 are reserved for women, 17 for general category and four for Scheduled Caste (SC) category.
The Delhi health minister’s statement assumes significance as in early March, AAP’S former state president Anoop Kesari had announced that the party would contest the upcoming Shimla civic polls irrespective of the way it is held (party symbol or candidates). A month later, on April 9, Kesari and five other state AAP leaders quit the party and joined the BJP. The defections prompted the AAP to dissolve its Himachal Pradesh unit on April 11.
When asked why the party will not contest if the civic polls are held through candidates, Jain said it is to prevent poaching. “If the civic polls are conducted on candidates, AAP will not contest because then the BJP will take away all our winning candidates. By now, the AAP has reached a state where our party’s symbol - the broom - has gained significant popularity. Without any party symbol, why would anybody vote for the AAP? At present, our strength in Shimla is based more on the party symbol, the name of AAP and (party chief) Arvind Kejriwal than any candidate whom we would have otherwise chosen,” he said.
The Shimla civic body elections are crucial for all political parties in the state as the polls are being seen as a precursor to the assembly elections which are scheduled later this year. Having taken Punjab with a spectacular victory last month, the AAP has already announced that it is going to contest the upcoming Himachal Assembly polls. But, politics have largely remained bipolar in Himachal Pradesh with the BJP and the Congress coming to power alternatively, except for a few instances.
The BJP has already started work for civic body elections with party chief J P Nadda visiting the state capital to discuss in detail the plans for the MC elections and seeking feedback from sitting councillors. Party leaders, including chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, were keen that the MC elections be held on party symbols. However, local legislator and urban development minister Suresh Bhardwaj is believed to be reluctant on the issue. Gaurav Sharma, spokesperson of AAP’S Himachal unit, said if the party contests the civic polls, the issues it will fight on will be traffic congestion, water shortage, unplanned urban expansion and on improving the tourism sector.