AAP sticks to Gujarat script in planned push in poll-bound states

The AAP launched its Gujarat campaign barely seven months ahead of the Assembly elections in December. With very little time in hand to create a robust booth-level network, the party relied heavily on a publicity blitzkrieg in the initial months, particularly through Kejriwal’s frequent visits to the state.

Following a similar script, Kejriwal will soon hit the ground by addressing a rally in Davanagere, in central Karnataka, on March 4. Assembly elections in the state currently governed by the BJP, which is facing a tough challenge from the Congress, are likely to be held in April-May.

Last week, the AAP, which has already announced that it will field candidates in all of the 224 seats in Karnataka, launched a campaign called “Broom is the solution”. The party has also revamped its state unit, appointing entrepreneur Prithvi Reddy the convenor, ex-IPS officer Bhaskar Rao the chairperson of the manifesto committee, and actor Mukhyamantri Chandru the chairperson of the campaign committee.

In 2018, the AAP contested 29 seats and drew a blank in Karnataka, like in Madhya Pradesh where 207 of its 208 candidates forfeited their deposits in that year’s Assembly elections. This time, AAP national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak has announced that the party will contest all 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh.

“For now, our achievements in the areas of education, delivery of public services and health will remain the central theme of the party’s campaign. Dr Pathak has been stressing in all his interactions with volunteers to script the narrative around the binaries of AAP’s positive politics and the negative brand of politics practised by the BJP and the Congress,” said a senior AAP leader.

Apart from the publicity blitz, the AAP campaign in Gujarat had strong local faces in former popular TV anchor Isudan Gadhvi and Patidar Andolan youth leader Gopal Italia, an aspect missing in the states currently on its radar.

Following Karnataka, Kejriwal will address rallies in Chhattisgarh (March 5), Rajasthan (March 13), and Madhya Pradesh (March 14). Pathak, who took charge of his new role as the organisation secretary in December, has so far visited Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. He was in Chhattisgarh, his home state, almost 10 months ago after being elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Ahead of Kejriwal’s visit to Jaipur, where the Delhi CM will participate in a Tiranga rally, Pathak has been holding meetings with party workers, starting in Udaipur on February 22. The party contested 142 of 200 seats in Rajasthan in 2018 but failed to win any of them. He will also meet party workers in Gwalior, Rewa, Jabalpur, Bhopal, and Indore between March 1 and March 4.

In an interview to The Indian Express last month, Pathak said he feels that the Rewa and Gwalior belts hold promise for the AAP electorally, along with parts of Rajasthan adjoining Gujarat.

Both in MP and Rajasthan, the AAP launched a membership drive earlier in February. Apart from launching dedicated numbers that people can dial to sign up for the party, AAP volunteers have also been going door to door to spread the message.

“Kejriwal’s trips to these states will be supplemented by the launch of guarantee cards for various sections of the society ranging from traders to youth, which has emerged as the signature style of the AAP’s poll campaigns,” said an AAP leader.