With eyes on Punjab and Goa, AAP refrains from Mumbai local body polls

MUMBAI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided not to contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections due next year, stating that its priority is to concentrate on the poll-bound states of Punjab and Goa.

The decision to not contest the BMC polls was taken at a meeting of senior AAP leaders last week, which was chaired by Deepak Vajpayee, in-charge of the party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal's secretariat, AAP national spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said.

"Yes, our party leadership has decided to primarily focus on Punjab and Goa Assembly elections which are taking place around the same time (as BMC). With this decision (to not enter the BMC poll arena), our full fleet of volunteers would be extending their all-out support in these two states," she said.


The Kejriwal-led party is looking forward to draw rich political dividends in both the states being ruled by BJP with its regional allies and has launched high-profile campaigns.

In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, AAP had fielded candidates in all six seats of Mumbai, but all of them lost their poll deposits.

Among them, social activist Medha Patkar was the highest grosser who was polled 75,000 votes.

BMC, the country's richest civic body, is currently ruled by the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.