Haryana & Delhi Polls: As Arvind Kejriwal walks out of Tihar Jail, the biggest task before him — Mission Election

A senior AAP leader described the party’s push at present as “Mission Election”. The first stop is Haryana.

The AAP has declared candidates in 89 of the 90 constituencies after alliance talks with the Congress failed.

“Over the past few days, senior party leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, as well as the CM’s wife Sunita Kejriwal,
have been campaigning in the state. The

CM is now expected to join them. Our campaign in Haryana has not gone as expected because of the constant attacks on the party, but has picked up pace in the past few weeks with the courts coming to the rescue of our leaders and party workers,” said a senior party leader.

The one big decision from the government that is awaited is the clearance of the Rs 1,000 monthly aid to women.

The party made the promise in the Budget this year, and a few days later, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kejriwal.

At the time, ministers said the first instalment of the money would be distributed by October. While a Cabinet draft is in the process of being finalised, it will have to be vetted and signed by the Chief Minister before being sent to the Lt Governor.

But the biggest priority for the party at this stage, another leader said, was the Delhi Assembly elections. The term of the present AAP government will end in February next year.

“Delhi is the mainstay of our politics. This is where our struggle started. While we have formed a government in Punjab, which is a full state, the fight for the rights of the people of Delhi will be at the Centre of our politics. After the Haryana elections conclude, the entire focus of the party will be on strengthening the organisation, door-to-door campaigning in Delhi and making the people see how AAP has been tortured by the Centre and that only we stand between the people and BJP’s dictatorship,” the leader said.

At a press conference on Friday afternoon, state minister Atishi said all work in the city that had been stalled would commence in the next few days. “The people of Delhi will get major relief. All the work that was stalled and problems people were facing in the last 6-7 months will be resolved after the CM comes out of jail,” she said.