BackAAP seeks to do a Delhi in Goa, Punjab elections
The Aam Aadmi Party is banking on campaign strategies it used before the Delhi polls, including crowd sourcing manifesto and door-to-door campaigning
PremiumPhoto: PTI
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) plans to conduct a door-to-door campaign and draw up its manifesto with public inputs for next year’s assembly elections in Punjab and Goa —strategies that helped it secure a landslide win in the Delhi election last year.
Leading the campaign, Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will be travelling to the states over the next fortnight.
The AAP is also planning to contest elections in Gujarat, expected to be held next year, but an official announcement is yet to be made. Kejriwal will be making a two-day visit to that state on 9 and 10 July.
Punjab and Goa will be the first states the party will contest after Delhi, where it won 67 out of 70 assembly seats in the February 2015 elections. The terms of Goa and Punjab assemblies expire in March next year.
“These campaign strategies worked well for us in Delhi. We will be implementing similar plans in other states too," said a senior AAP leader, who did not wish to be identified.
In the run-up to the Delhi election, the AAP had organized a series of discussions on youth, education and health, among others. The poll campaign, titled Delhi Dialogue, led to the formulation of a 70-point manifesto.
The party has now launched “Bolda Punjab" (Punjab Speaks), a series of discussions focusing on issues affecting the state. So far, it has conducted meetings on farmer issues and youth.
In Goa too a similar campaign has been planned. The party will soon launch the campaign across all 40 constituencies in the state.
“With an agenda of clean governance and anti-corruption, besides other local issues, the initiation of Goem Samvaad (Goa Dialogue) will be a vital exercise for the AAP to involve participation of people to form the manifesto, a first-time effort in Goa’s political history," read a statement released by AAP in Goa.
The party is also working on building its organization in the two states. While the process is complete in Punjab, the AAP is still setting up various wings in Goa, including for women and youth.
In Punjab, the AAP’s women’s wing has launched “Dastak", a campaign focusing on unemployment, drug abuse and price rise. As part of this, volunteers will visit homes across all 117 constituencies to garner support in a signature campaign.
“The issues in each state are very different. Our campaigns are being modified to address the needs of specific states," the AAP leader quoted earlier said.
The party is also keen on showcasing its work in Delhi in the election-bound states.
For funding, the party is planning to launch a mobile application to increase the collection of funds. A similar exercise was undertaken ahead of elections in Delhi to ensure transparency in collection.
Analysts say a replica of the Delhi campaign may not necessarily work. “Delhi-style campaigning may not work in other states. Punjab has its own set of issues. Delhi is neither an agricultural state nor does it have such a strong influence of drugs. The issues are very different," said Ghanshyam Dev, a political analyst and head of the department of political science at DAV College, Chandigarh.
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