Lok Sabha polls 2014: AAP has far too many clones like GAP and BAAP

NEW DELHI: Imitation is the best form of flattery and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has more than its share of clones. In the months before the Delhi assembly elections, splinter groups from AAP formed political outfits like Gareeb Aadmi Party ( GAP) and Bharatiya Aam Aadmi Party ( BAAP). Now this has spread across the country to states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.

Rakhi Sawant recently announced the formation of Rashtriya Aam Party and is standing for election in Mumbai north-west constituency. Among the more serious contenders is Aama Odisha Party, floated by former Congress MP from Odisha Soumya Ranjan Patnaik. Patnaik, son-in-law of former Assam governor J B Patnaik, has been vocal on issues like corruption and the mining scam in the state echoing the stand taken by AAP at the national and local levels.

Jharkhand boasts of Aapka Hamara Party, registered in October 2013. Its founder and national president Sanjeet Lal professes that the party is against the exploitation and suppression of the weaker sections of the society and plans to bring about social and economic change. Uttar Pradesh has the Aam Janata Party while Maharashtra plays host to Hamari Apni Party.

Established by disgruntled AAP members, GAP has an agenda that appears to be a photocopy of AAP. The issues it has prioritised include Jan Lokpal, Right to Recall, Right to Reject and political decentralization with an additional issue of an alcohol-free nation. These parties, except for BAAP, registered with the Election Commission as unrecognized parties between 2013-2014.