AAP firms up strategy for civic body polls

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP state president Aman Arora chaired the meeting in which the candidate selection process and the poll strategy were discussed

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday held a high-level meeting to crank up its preparations for the municipal body elections scheduled for December 21.

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP state president Aman Arora chaired the meeting attended by cabinet ministers, state and district-level office-bearers, legislators, and other key members of the party.

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP state president Aman Arora chaired the meeting in which the candidate selection process and the poll strategy were discussed. The meeting was attended by cabinet ministers, state and district-level office-bearers, legislators, and other key members of the party. The meeting resolved to seek support from people of urban areas by highlighting the state government’s performance and achievements over the past more than two-and-a-half years, a party leader said.

After the meeting, Arora said that the candidates for the 977 wards across five municipal corporations and 43 municipal committees, councils and nagar panchayats would be selected on merit in a transparent manner. “Under the guidance of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and general secretary, organisation, Sandeep Pathak, we have divided Punjab into 10 zones to ensure a systematic approach to candidate selection. Screening committees comprising MPs, MLAs, and district-level office-bearers have been formed, with a nine-member team in each zone to oversee the process,” he said.

Arora said the party received an overwhelming number of applications from potential candidates, an average of 12 to 15 applications per ward, which showcased the public’s trust in AAP’s governance and vision.

Arora said that nearly 350 office-bearers of the party actively participated in the screening process. Dwelling on the ‘transformative’ work done by the Bhagwant Mann-led government, he said that people had witnessed the change brought by the government and were ready to support the AAP in these elections to ensure continuous development at the local level. “With the enthusiasm and determination seen in the meeting, we are confident of a historic victory in these elections,” he said.

Later, Arora also expressed grief over the death of 20 cows at a cowshed in Phagwara, stating that the police were investigating the matter. He appealed to Hindu organisations and the general public to maintain peace and law and order.