AAP readies stage 4 of its poll campaign in Delhi

AAP announced the launch of its fourth phase of electioneering from May 13-23, including dialogues with different sections of people.

In the final push to its election campaign, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced on Wednesday that it will launch its fourth phase of electioneering from May 13 and will continue till May 23. A series of dialogues with different sections of people such as women, traders, rural and Poorvanchali population (people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh) will be held during which the party leaders will inform them of the work done by the AAP government and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi, party functionaries aware of the matter said on Wednesday.

Delhi minister Atishi and AAP’s South Delhi Lok Sabha candidate Sahi Ram campaign in Govindpuri on Wednesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The meetings are part of the AAP’s campaign, “Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se”.

AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai addressed a press conference at the party headquarters and said that Kejriwal’s arrest has not weakened the party, but has only made it stronger. “Several events — ‘Trade Town Hall’ in East Delhi, ‘Gramin Panchayat’ in West Delhi, ‘Mahila Samvad’ in New Delhi and ‘Purvanchal Samagam’ in South Delhi — will be held under the campaign in all the Lok Sabha constituencies. Other campaigns, including ‘door-to-door’, ‘Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se’, Sankalp Sabha and roadshows of Sunita Kejriwal (the wife of the CM), will continue,” said Rai.

AAP is contesting the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi in alliance with Congress — it is contesting four seats (New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi) and the Congress three seats (North West, Chandni Chowk and North East Delhi). The two parties are running separate as well as joint campaigns in the seven seats. Kejriwal launched the party’s campaign in March, but the party recalibrated its campaign and focussed on Kejriwal’s arrest that took place on March 21.

“The three-time elected and sitting CM of Delhi was arrested and put behind bars in the middle of the election campaigning. The arrests of Kejriwal and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren have clearly become a trailer of the BJP’s dictatorship. People from all over the country are asking that if elected CMs, who won by huge majority, can be put in jail without any evidence, then what will happen to the common people?” Rai said.

“The way the people of Delhi, party volunteers and supporters have come together to fight the dictatorship, the AAP has only become stronger,” said Rai.

Rai said the AAP workers have listed 100,000 people who are motivating others in Delhi to vote. “On May 25, we will encourage people to come out of their homes and take them to the polling booths, and will ensure that the arrest is answered through their votes,” said Rai.

Trade Town Hall

Under the ‘Trade Town Hall’ campaigns, Rai said, the party leaders will discuss the specific work that has been done by the AAP government for the business class so far and also focus on their expectations.

“The Kejriwal government is the first to reduce VAT from 15 or 20% to 5% after it was formed in Delhi. It ended the ‘Raid Raaj’ in Delhi. In this year’s budget, we made a plan for the redevelopment of Delhi’s market, in which we aimed to increase the business of Delhi. Our government has created a network of CCTV cameras throughout Delhi that give traders a sense of security,” Rai said.

Gramin Panchayat

Under the ‘Gramin Panchayat’, the AAP leaders will discuss the development of villages. “Our government has invested thousands of crores of rupees for rural development in Delhi. In the current budget, which has already been passed, ₹1,000 crore has also been allocated for village development. The people living in these villages have already got the facilities such as electricity and water like the rest of Delhi,” said Rai.

Mahila Samvad

Under the ‘Mahila Samvad’, the AAP leaders will talk about issues related to women safety, and the work done by the AAP government for women. “We will talk about the security of women, including the installation of more CCTV cameras, free bus travel, and special provision of giving ₹1,000 honorarium to each woman every month passed in this year’s budget,” said Rai.

Poorvanchal Samagam

In the ‘Poorvanchal Samagam’, the AAP leaders will talk about the workers’ class. “Today, 90% of labour power comes from the Poorvanchal region. They get free electricity and water. Most of the labourers from the Purvanchal community work on minimum wage contract basis. Before we formed the government, the minimum wages of these labourers were merely ₹8,000. Today, we have doubled up the minimum wages to ₹16,000,” said Rai.