Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reiterated that the party will contest all 13 seats in Punjab in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, thereby dismissing the possibility of a poll alliance with its Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners in the State.
Addressing a gathering in Punjab’s Khanna along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Mr. Kejriwal added that the party would go it alone in Chandigarh as well, which has one Parliamentary seat, and said that the candidates for all 14 seats will be announced in the next fortnight.
The announcement comes after alliance talks between AAP and the Congress stalled, with AAP leaders saying that an alliance between the two parties would only be possible, at most, in Delhi. The Congress and AAP, however, jointly contested the recent mayoral elections for the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, but faced a setback when their joint candidates lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Notably, several Congress leaders in Punjab have been critical of the tie-up with AAP, and have consistently urged the party’s high command not to go ahead with it.
‘Repeat 2022 victory’
“Two years ago [2022 Assembly elections], you gave your blessings. Out of 117 seats, you gave us 92 seats. You created history in Punjab. Today, I again seek your blessings with folded hands. The Lok Sabha elections are taking place in two months. In Punjab, there are 13 seats, and in Chandigarh, there is one. I urge you to make us win all 14 seats by voting for the party,” said the AAP chief to the public gathering.
Mr. Kejriwal, who was speaking after the launch of the ‘Ghar Ghar Muft Ration’ scheme, aimed at providing free delivery of ration to the people’s doorsteps, took a dig at the Opposition parties in the State, alleging that for the last 75 years, ration through the Public Distribution System “never reached the beneficiaries”. He added that neither the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) nor the Congress took any steps to ensure the well-being of the people, and that ration meant for the common man had been “looted away” by political parties.
“We are not going to steal the ration of the poor. We have come to serve you,” he said, adding that beneficiaries will now be able to avail the full benefit of the scheme.
Mr. Mann, in his address, said that ever since AAP has come into power in Punjab, “every single penny is being spent on the State’s welfare”. He also took a dig at the SAD, saying that the party’s ‘Punjab Bachao Yatra’ should be renamed the ‘Parivar Bachao Yatra’ (‘Save the Family yatra’). “The Akalis have plundered the State mercilessly besides bruising the psyche of the Punjabis and patronising the mafia here,” he said.
The Punjab CM added that AAP would win all 13 seats in Punjab, and the one in Chandigarh.
Published - February 11, 2024 12:23 am IST
