AAP confirms fight on all Lok Sabha seats in Delhi & Haryana

NEW DELHI: Buoyed by its spectacular debut in the Delhi elections and the widespread media attention from across the country, the Aam Aadmi Party has decided to launch a nationwide mass enrolment campaign starting later this week.

At its national executive meeting that concluded on Sunday, the Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) also decided to contest all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana along with all 90 Assembly seats in the state, it announced after the twoday meeting.

The party will also contest all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, but it did not reveal the final tally of seats it plans to contest in the national elections this year. “Though we are sure that we will fight from at least 15 to 20 states. It will be tough to give you an exact number of Lok Sabha seats, but it will definitely not be all 545 seats,” senior AAP leader Yogendra Yadav told reporters after the national executive meeting.

Outlining AAP’s strategy for the national elections, Yadav said the party’s first list of final candidates will be announced between January 15 and 20 and that the party’s manifesto will be released in March.

The party will try to release separate manifestos for different constituencies even for the national elections. AAP will accept applications from prospective candidates till January 15.

The applications will be screened at the state-level, and the final list of candidates will only be prepared with the approval of the political advisory committee at the national level. Like Delhi elections, the party will also invite public feedback on the selected candidates to ensure they are not charged of corruption or any criminal activities in the past.

For the purpose of charting out AAP’s Lok Sabha strategy, the party has set up a three-member committee. Its members are Sanjay Singh, Pankaj Gupta and Yadav. At present, AAP’s primary focus is on strengthening its cadre, with a nationwide fortnight campaign — ‘Main Bhi Aam Aadmi’ — for enrolling new members starting January 10. “The enthusiasm and faith of people in the party has prompted us to start the drive. This drive will help us assess our strength and work on the party’s organisational structure and election strategies,” Yadav said.