Hoping for a sweep

THE AAP’S AGGRESSIVE POWER BID IN GUJARAT IS TIED TO ITS NATIONAL ASPIRATIONS

- SONI MISHRA

FOR THE AAM Aadmi Party, the current election season is about balancing contrasting political aspirations. On the one hand, it has entered the electoral arena of Gujarat in a clear indication of its national aspirations, and on the other, it is keen to make its dominance of Delhi politics complete by winning the civic polls.

The electioneering for the Gujarat Assembly elections was already under way when the polls to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi were announced. The MCD polls were supposed to be held in April, but were postponed because of the Centre’s decision to unify the three municipal corporations in the capital. AAP leaders say that they had anticipated that the MCD polls could be held around the same time as the Gujarat polls, and insist this will not have an impact on its poll prospects. The party claims that the MCD polls are scheduled before the announcement of Gujarat poll results because the BJP is not confident about its prospects in either of the two elections.

Both the elections are high-stake battles for the AAP, and its leaders are expected to be stretched between the two states. Arvind Kejriwal especially is in demand in both the places as he is the face of the AAP’s campaign. The party’s MLAs in Delhi were supposed to spend time in Gujarat, but they will now have to focus on the MCD polls.

“The people of both Delhi and Gujarat have made up their minds to vote out the BJP and vote for the AAP,” said AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak, who is in charge of the MCD polls. “No matter what the BJP does, it will not harm the AAP.”