Will work on structural improvement: AAP

Fissures have been visible within the Party leadership in the last few days, since its defeat in the Municipal election

The party will work on all levels, including structural and booth level, and make necessary changes

Blaming EVMS is not good. It can be a factor, which can be raised and discussed, but we failed to reach out to the voters

NEW DELHI:

The Aam Aadmi Party, which emerged as a major political force in Delhi’s politics, will have a tough time ahead after facing a humiliating defeat in the city’s municipal polls and it will now be a challenge for the party to keep its legislators united.

In the last few days, fissures have been visible within the AAP leadership.

Senior leader and former Punjab convenor Sanjay Singh said structural improvement was needed and the party would work towards it.

Singh’s remarks came after a long meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on late Thursday night.

The PAC meeting was organised to “introspect” and analyse the AAP’S defeat in the municipal polls, whose results were announced Wednesday.

Singh told reporters after the meeting that the party “introspected” on what went wrong and where “we fell short”.

“We will work on all levels, including structural and

Sanjay Singh booth level, and make necessary changes,” he said. Singh added that the PAC also discussed the tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMS). He said the party has legitimate concerns over EVMS and the Election Commission needs to address them.

He said when nearly 18 political parties of the country have raised doubts over EVMS, then why is the AAP singularly being made fun of.

Conversely, on Friday, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas said the party was open to take a call on change in the leadership because blaming EVMS entirely for its poll defeats was wrong when “there is mistrust among people for us”. Speaking to a private news channel, Vishwas – considered close to Chief Minister

Kumar Vishwas and party founder Arvind Kejriwal – said the party needed to “introspect” over its defeat in the municipal polls and ponder over the reasons. “I am pained because it is our sixth continuous defeat. It is certain that people did not vote for us in the civic polls. There is mistrust for us among people,” Vishwas was quoted him as saying.

“Blaming EVMS is not good. It can be a factor, which can be raised and discussed, but we failed to reach out to the voters. The party should introspect the reasons for the loss.”

Asked if there could be a change in the leadership, Vishwas said: “We will discuss this in the party soon.” On the appointment of Gopal Rai as the Delhi unit convener, Vishwas hinted that he was not happy with the decision taken in a meeting where he was not invited.

He said the PAC was told about it but the decision must have been taken in Kejriwal’s meeting with legislators earlier in the day. “Gopal bhai is capable, but there were other candidates too,” Vishwas said.

He added the party needed to decide what it was fighting against – corruption, or parties, or individuals, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We did not sit at Jantar Mantar to fight against the Congress, Modi, the BJP or EVMS,” Vishwas said.

Replying on Vishwas’ comments, Sanjay Singh said it was “not right” to make fun of the party when it questions EVMS.

Singh also confirmed the announcement that the PAC approved the appointment of Delhi Labour Minister Gopal Rai as new convenor of the AAP’S Delhi unit.

Singh also took on the political opponents who had raised questions about party’s progress and its future.

He said one cannot write off the AAP as in the past four years, all that the party has achieved was not less.