Kejriwal unveils split Haryana strategy: AAP to contest Assembly polls solo, Lok Sabha seats with INDIA

Kejriwal’s announcement came days after Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda told The Indian Express that he was not inclined on an alliance with the AAP in the state for the Lok Sabha polls. There are 10 parliamentary seats in the state.

Addressing the “Badlav Jansabha” in Jind, Kejriwal said the AAP would contest all 90 Assembly seats in the state. It would be the first time that the party would contest all the seats. In the 2019 Assembly elections, the Kejriwal-led party had contested 46 seats but drew a blank with a vote share of 0.48%.

“The entire state is looking for a big change. Today, people have faith in only one party – AAP,” Kejriwal said.

He claimed that the AAP has the largest organisation in the state with each village having a committee of 15-20 members. “Nearly 1.25 lakh persons have become AAP office-bearers in the state over the past six months. Why did this happen? People are upset with all other parties as they have seen them over the past 75 years,” he said.

Citing the instances of Delhi and Punjab, the AAP chief promised round-the-clock free electricity in Haryana if his party was voted to power. Both Delhi and Punjab are ruled by the AAP.

Kejriwal also slammed the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government over its plans to send 10,000 youths from the state to Israel for jobs. Claiming that his party’s government had created 42,000 government jobs in neighbouring Punjab, Kejriwal said, “The Haryana government is planning to send the youth of the state to Israel, where there is an ongoing war and no guarantee of life. Khattar sahab, leave the kursi (chair) if you cannot give jobs to the youth. We will give them jobs but do not send them to Israel to die,” the Delhi CM said.

Hitting out at the Centre over the “misuse” of probe agencies, Kejriwal alleged that the central government has put its agencies such as the CBI, ED, Delhi Police and I-T department to arrest him. “I will quit politics if you fulfil my five demands – uninterrupted power, free healthcare, free education, employment and control of inflation,” he said.

AAP’s poll performance

In the last Assembly elections, the AAP’s candidates polled fewer votes than NOTA (0.53%) with most candidates failing to cross the 1,000-vote mark and forfeiting deposits.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party allied with the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and fielded candidates in three seats – Ambala, Karnal and Faridabad – polling less than 2% of the votes.

Recent setbacks

The AAP was dealt three massive blows in the recent past with its national joint secretary and former MLA Nirmal Singh, state vice-president Chitra Sarwara and state campaign committee chairman Ashok Tanwar quitting the party. While Singh and Sarwara returned to the Congress, Tanwar jumped ship to join the BJP.