The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will not be putting up candidates in the upcoming Urban local Body (UlB) elections in the State to be held on September 19.
This is in line with a strategy of the party at the national level that it will concentrate all its energy and resources in the Delhi Assembly elections to be held in November. Since the party has been formed out of the Jan lokpal movement and long years of work in Delhi by social activist Arvind Kejriwal, it has the best prospects to come to power in Delhi and implement its programmes including the Jan lokpal law, said a press release of the party.
While not putting up official candidates, the AAP State unit will be campaigning for good people to enter in to politics and will intervene in the local body elections by way of bringing awareness among the masses to reject corrupt politicians and seek accountability from the candidates, it said.
It continued the party will support such candidates who have clean image and are ready to accept public scrutiny and agenda for transparent and accountable politics. The AAP will also try to campaign before and during the elections to make voters aware about the problems and the need for them to exercise their vote carefully without fear or favour and in particular to avoid taking gifts of liquor and money in lieu of their votes.
The AAP also appealed the youths and the middle class voters to cast their votes in large number to make it difficult for political parties to play vote bank politics.
The AAP has been also conducting sample surveys in different parts of the State and will try to come up with people's manifesto for the elections to confront the candidates about their stand on various issues.
Subsequent to the Delhi Assembly elections, the AAP will put up candidates in each and every Assembly and lok Sabha seat in Odisha, the release added.