AAP set for campaign push in Delhi from Tuesday

The AAP will hold 200 “Sankalp Sabha” meetings in which people will be administered the oath, “Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se”, to seek support for Arvind Kejriwal

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will hold 200 “Sankalp Sabha” meetings from Tuesday in which people from across the four Lok Sabha constituencies of the city will be administered the oath, “Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se”, to seek support for Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection to the excise policy case, AAP leaders aware of the matter said on Monday. They also unveiled the party’s plans to intensify the on-ground campaigning.

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi minister Rai will preside over Sankalp Sabha meetings. (ANI)

The AAP is contesting the Lok Sabha elections — scheduled to be held in Delhi on May 25 for the seven seats — in alliance with the Congress. The AAP is contesting the New Delhi, South Delhi, East Delhi and West Delhi Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress will field its candidates in North East Delhi, Chandni Chowk and North West constituencies.

“In total, 200 ‘Sankalp Sabha’ meetings will be held in 40 assembly constituencies under the four Lok Sabha constituencies from April 16. AAP ministers, MPs and MLAs will administer the oath of ‘Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se’. The party wants to administer oaths to around 100,000 people and make them ready to fan out to households under the four Lok Sabha constituencies, and urge people to vote for AAP,” said AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai.

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi minister Rai will preside over these meetings. Rai will kick-start the meetings from Vishwas Nagar assembly constituency under the East Delhi Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday.

AAP relaunched its Lok Sabha election campaign titled, “Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se”, at the party headquarters, nearly three weeks after Kejriwal was arrested on March 21.

“Nearly 2,000 teams of AAP are working in the four Lok Sabha constituencies where our candidates are contesting. So far, we have reached 300,000 households. 90% of people believe that Kejriwal’s arrest is wrong,” said Gopal Rai. The campaign will end by May 23, he added.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that the AAP’s campaigning is yet to take off. “The AAP candidates appear to have given up and are hardly campaigning. The people of Delhi have become aware of all the stories of corruption related to the excise case and will not believe in the stories of innocence and victimhood that are being peddled by the AAP leaders. The AAP and Congress have formed alliance, but there is no synchronisation between their leaders or party workers, as there is a trust deficit among the leaders of the two parties,” said Kapoor.