In revamped Delhi unit, AAP to have more workers on the ground

The AAP had announced a comprehensive revamp of the party unit in Delhi with focus on the municipal elections which are due in 2022.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday appointed new communication in charge in all seven Lok Sabha segments in the city, along with presidents and coordinators in 14 districts demarcated by the party and observers in all 70 assembly segments.

While the AAP has won three consecutive terms in Delhi government, it has failed to unseat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the three municipal corporations. (Mohd Zakir/HT file photo)

The AAP had announced a comprehensive revamp of the party unit in Delhi with focus on the municipal elections which are due in 2022.

“The restructuring of the party’s organisational structure is being done in the light of the municipal elections in 2022. Volunteers and party workers have been shortlisted on the basis of their performance in the 2020 assembly polls and covid management,” said Gopal Rai, the party’s Delhi convener and employment minister in the Delhi government.

While the AAP has won three consecutive terms in Delhi government, it has failed to unseat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the three municipal corporations.

Rai said the revamp exercise is being done in three phases. In the first phase, the party appointed presidents and coordinators in all 14 political districts, communication in charge in all seven Lok Sabha segments and observers in 70 assembly segments in the city.

“In the second and third phases, more office bearers would be appointed in the 70 assembly segments and 272 wards in the city,” said Rai, adding that the primary agenda would be local civic issues, anti-corruption and the quality of primary education in schools under the municipal corporations.

On Sunday, Rai announced names of those appointed under the first phase of the exercise.

The Lok Sabha segment communications in charge and the district presidents would report directly to the top leadership of the party, of which chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is the national convener. Assembly segment observers would report to the communications in-charge of the Lok Sabha segment concerned – each seven of them have 10 assembly segments under them. The district coordinators are primarily entrusted with being a helping hand to the presidents, senior AAP functionaries explained.

As communication in charge in Lok Sabha segment, the party appointed Neeraj Kaushik (north-east), RR Pathania (north-west), Ranjit Singh (East), Vinod Kumar Piplani (New Delhi), Dipankar Pandey (South), Anil Malik (West) and Sandeep Lohan (Chandni Chowk).

The appointed district presidents Narender Kumar (Karawal Nagar), Shahnawaz (Babarpur), Raj Shokeen (Badli), Dhanmender Kumar (Rohini), Munish Kaushik (Patparganj), Dr Sanjit Acharya (Shahdara), Dr Yuvraj Bharadwaj (Karol Bagh), Ramesh Jhankar (New Delhi), Rita Dagar Godara (Mehrauli), Dharmraj Bharti (Sangam Vihar), Alok Singh (Tilak Nagar), Surender Lakhda (Najafgarh), Sanjay Garg (Adarsh Nagar) and Zakir Khan (Chandni Chowk).

Praveen Rai, political analyst with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), said: “Avoiding confrontational politics with the top BJP leadership over the past few years, has already yielded dividends for the AAP. So the fight in the next municipal elections is likely to be tough. But, one must also note, the BJP has a very strong grassroots presence. For the AAP, the best thing now would be to ensure that the grassroots workers in the assembly, district and ward levels go door-to-door highlighting how their development agenda can help resolve civic issues under the municipal corporation’s domain and stress on the work which the AAP government in Delhi has done in Covid management. That can give them an edge.”