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Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal along with his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann held a roadshow in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, months before the assembly elections in the state. Kejriwal, whose party is looking to expand its footprint after its landslide victory in the recently held Punjab assembly polls, claimed the AAP will “uproot corruption from Himachal Pardesh” if it comes to power.
“First, we eradicated corruption in Delhi, then in Punjab. Now, it’s time to uproot corruption from Himachal Pradesh,” news agency ANI quoted Kejriwal as saying.
“We are common people, we don’t know how to do politics. Instead, we know how to work for people, build schools and end corruption. We have ended corruption in just 20 days in Punjab since Bhagwant Mann became the chief minister. Now, ‘kranti’ should happen in Himachal Pradesh too,” Kejriwal said.
To begin its poll campaign, the AAP has chosen Mandi, the home turf of incumbent chief minister Jai Ram Thakur. This is the party’s first major event in the run-up to the Himachal assembly polls and would also reflect the mood of the public in the hill state.
Himachal is set to go to the polls at the end of this year and another BJP-ruled state Gujarat. The AAP has also announced to contest the Shimla municipal election, the schedule for which is expected very soon.
Last month, the AAP had appointed an eight-member team to expand the organisation and devise poll strategies in Himachal. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain has been made the election in-charge and has already visited the state several times since the AAP victory. Durgesh Pathak has been appointed state in-charge with Ratnesh Gupta his deputy.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Jain had projected his party as an alternative to the ruling BJP and opposition Congress in the state.
The AAP is a better option for Himachal Pradesh as both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress have looted the hill state, alleged the Delhi health minister.
The Congress has lost its ground and the AAP has sufficient experience of defeating it, he said apparently referring to the recently held Punjab Assembly polls, in which Jain’s party stormed to power.
Jain said his party’s membership drive has been successful in the hill state as three lakh people joined AAP in the last fortnight.
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