MCD polls: Meets, plays to drive 2nd phase of AAP’s campaign

AAP’s Delhi chief Gopal Rai said their star and other campaigners will interact with the people one-on-one to understand their issues

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is planning to conduct 1,000 public meetings from Wednesday as part of the second phase of its campaign ahead of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections, scheduled for December 4.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will be among AAP’s star campaigners, who will fan across the capital for canvassing. (Twitter)

On Tuesday, AAP’s Delhi convenor Gopal Rai said the public meetings will be held between November 23 and December 2 in every ward, adding that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann will be among the party’s star campaigners.

Votes cast in the civic polls will be counted on December 7.

According to Rai, workers will spread AAP’s message through cultural events. “We will hold 1,000 nukkad sabhas (roadside meetings) between November 23 and December 2 on various chowks of every ward,” he said.

“All of our star campaigners and lawmakers will hold meetings. Once every ward has Arvind Kejriwal’s councillors, we will complete all the work that BJP promised, but failed, to do,” the AAP leader added.

Rai said that, as part of the AAP’s campaign, party leaders will hold one-on-one interactions with the people to understand their issues.

“They will raise awareness regarding rampant corruption and maladministration of BJP during its 15-year reign in the MCD,” Rai said, adding that the AAP will also organise events to highlight the 10 ‘guarantees’ that Kejriwal has announced for the polls.

These guarantees focus on cleaning up the city, flattening its landfills, and weeding out corruption with the municipality.

“Once the Kejriwal government comes to power in MCD, we will do development work with the same passion as we are doing in the Delhi government... The kind of public support we have received in our public debates, road shows and door-to-door campaigns clearly indicates that Kejriwal is about to come to power in the MCD,” he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back, claiming that the AAP’s campaign has been jolted by “corruption scandals” and accused the party leadership of being “tainted”.

“The scams, allegations of ticket distribution by their own party workers, and the misuse of power by jailed minister Satyendar Jain have left the AAP exposed before the people. Delhi will vote to push out the AAP’s tainted leadership from the city’s political arena,” said Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor.