AAP takes initiatives to connect with voters

NEW DELHI: In a bid to connect with voters ahead of Delhi assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party today launched 'Delhi Dialogue', an initiative under which the party would seek people's opinion on how their ideal city should be.

The move is aimed to connect with different stratas of society ranging from professionals to homemakers and from youth to women.

"We wish to know what are the expectations of people and how they want their Delhi to be. We will interact with professionals, housewife, students, youth, women, people from villages, industrialists, people from JJ cluster and unauthorised colonies. We will then prepare a 50-point programme, prepare a blue-print and address these issues," party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal told a news conference here.

The issues will also find way in party's manifesto. As a part of the inititaive, on November 15, the party will hold a rally of the youth in the national capital and address their issues. A similar rally will be held on November 26, party's foundation day, where issues related to women's safety will be addressed.

A team comprising senior party functionaries like scribe-turned politician Ashish Khetan, Adarsh Shastri, who quit his high profile job to contest Lok Sabha ticket, banker-turned politician Meera Sanyal and Preeti Sharma Menon have been formed for this purpose.

"Health, education, power and water will be prime focus areas and the party will try to solve the issues in a time-bound manner," said Ashish Khetan, who is leading the initiative.

The programme is also being seen as party's inititaive to intensify its mass contact programme.

The party scripted a spectacular debut in assembly elections last year in which it won 28 seats and also went on to form a government. Arvind Kejriwal then resigned as the Chief Minister on February 14.

After its rout in the Lok Sabha election, where it drew a blank in the National Capital, the party has been holding numerous mass contact programmes. It has also launched several wings like the students, youth, women, minority ans traders wing.