Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is going to play a big role in Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections 2019; the party has announced its alliance with 12 small-time political parties and independent candidates in Maharashtra against the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Along with contesting in Vidarbha, the AAP, with the front named the Maharashtra Samruddhi Aghadi, will fight the elections from Maharashtra on 25 Lok Sabha seats out of the state’s 48 seats. In Mumbai, the party will contest from all six seats. The AAP in Maharashtra plans to ally with anti-Congress and the anti-BJP parties.
Independent MLA Bacchu Kadu also joined the alliance. Omprakash Babarao Kadu aka Bacchu Kadu was working under the label of Prahar Yuvashakti Sanghatana that later became Prahar Party. With Kadu’s domination in Vidarbha, the AAP can take a few leads. Maharashtra AAP President Brigadier Sudhir Sawant told Afternoon Voice that their success in Delhi has motivated them to go aggressive in the state elections. “The AAP would campaign on Delhi development model and the party is hoping for a good response from people. The AAP has majorly focused to develop the education and health sector in Delhi. Moreover, the focal point for AAP will be to construct residences under 500 square feet for the people living in slums of Mumbai and the state. Voters are unhappy with BJP and their mandate would be in our favour,” Sawant added.
AAP ally Bahujan Kranti Paksha President Advocate Satish Palve stated, “The previous governments in the state have failed to keep their promises made to the people. The farmers and the unemployed youth are largely affected! There is a growing discontent among the voters which will vent out in the upcoming polls. Delhi CM Kejriwal will be actively campaigning in Maharashtra. This alliance will be successful and definitely pose a challenge for the incumbent state government.”
With an aim to ‘play a role in defeating BJP candidates’, the AAP had shifted from its earlier announcement that the party will be contesting Lok Sabha polls only in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Goa. Now, Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal would be a star campaigner in Maharashtra. APP will carry out rally in Nagpur along with all its allies on February 9. Aam Aadmi Party is aiming to keep ally with the “like-minded” parties to prevent BJP from retaining the power. However, of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, the AAP has not declared the number of candidates the party will field. The party’s formula on seat-sharing would reportedly be finalised by February 15.
The Bharatiya Desh Bhakti Party, the Jana Surajya Party, the Welfare Party of India, the Vidarbha Majha, the Bahujan Republican Socialist Party, etc. are among the alliance members.
AAP ally Bharatiya Desh Bhakti Party leader DF Nimbalkar expressed, “Aam Aadmi Party works for the welfare of people and their party consists of farmers, army men, police officers or common man etc., who serve the country with an idea to improve the internal security, improve basic necessities like having food and shelter as it is their basic rights.”
He further said, “Being in the alliance with AAP, our party wants to serve on the national level besides serving Maharashtra. The planned Delhi model should work for the welfare of the country and all its citizens; people with the interest in working for social welfare should be offered opportunity to serve the nation. BJP is misusing public money, we want to use it for public benefit.”
When asked whether AAP and its alliance’s Delhi Model of Development will be a challenge for the ruling party in the state, BJP Maharashtra Spokesperson Keshav Upadhye told AV, “We are going to focus on development and that is our main agenda for the coming state and general elections. BJP is not bothered about any opposition alliance as it won’t affect the party’s mandate.”
On the other hand, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Spokesperson Raju Waghmare asserted, “All like-minded parties should come together to fight against the communal parties like BJP and Shiv Sena. We welcome and support all such alliances; however, if these alliances are formed under the umbrella of a big national party like the Congress, that will be beneficial for all of us. BJP can’t fool people anymore and on the contrary, their capitalist favouring policies will work against them.”
“BJP-Sena government ignored farm distress; along with that, the Congress will take up issues like unemployment, attacks on Dalits, women safety, corruption by the CM himself in Jalyukt Shivar Scheme, Dhangar community reservation, etc.,” Waghmare concluded.
