One booth, ten youth — a one-point strategy is devised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a part of its Mission 2017 in Punjab.
Encouraged over party’s lone success during 2014 general elections by emerging as second largest party in the State while being wiped clean from the political scene in the rest of the country, the AAP has chalked out its “pilot” strategy for the Punjab State Assembly polls, scheduled to be held after almost three years.
Starting from the grass roots level, the party, in its first State executive committee meeting held in Chandigarh on Sunday, has decided to put at least 10 youngsters on job in each booth. “To strengthen the party in the State, we will start from the bottom. We will work on slogan of one booth, ten youth,” said AAP’s national spokesperson Sanjay Singh.
AAP’s State executive meeting was attended by party’s all the four MPs — Bhagwant Mann from Sangrur, Dr Dharamvira Gandhi from Patiala, Harinder Singh Khalda from Fatehgarh Sahib, and Prof Sadhu Singh from Faridkot, besides AAP’s national spokesman Sanjay Singh and central observer Jarnail Singh among other senior leaders.
The party has also decided to launch an agitation across the State against prevailing “corruption, drug trafficking, farmer suicides, unemployment and lawlessness”.
“We will also launch a campaign, in the coming two months, against the prevailing issues like drug menace in the state, unemployment, rising electricity prices, education and health, besides others… the decision on from when the campaign is to be started will be taken in party’s next meeting on August 31,” said Sanjay Singh.
AAP has already made it clear that it would concentrate on Punjab and Delhi only, as of now. The party, in its three-day national executive meeting started on July 25 at Sangrur, had declared that it would not contest the ensuing assembly polls in Haryana, other than Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, and other states scheduled later this year.
It was decided that AAP will put all its resources for Delhi Assembly elections instead of contesting Assembly elections in Chandigarh.
The decision is significant as it indicated that AAP would be more of a fence-seater than a player during Haryana assembly polls. Notably, AAP had announced to venture into Haryana political scene after its successful run during Delhi Assembly polls. But, it decided to opt out after party’s hopeless show during lok Sabha elections.
AAP’s decision would also mean that it is now taking time to consolidate its position rather than doing a rush-job like it did in 2014 parliamentary polls. Elections in Haryana are scheduled to be held sometime in September, while the party has about two-and-a-half years to go before the Punjab assembly polls in 2017.
The party, at present, is all set to test the efficacy of its policies in the by-polls in Punjab for the two seats, Talwandi Sabo and Patiala — the result of which would be announced on Monday.
AAP’s broom succeeded in striking roots in Punjab during 2014 parliamentary polls by bagging four seats, equal to that of ruling SAD. The poll analysts attribute it to anti-incumbency against the Congress at the Centre and the ruling SAD-BJP combine in the State, coupled with the manifestation of voters’ anger against individual leaders of both the parties.
The party, getting 24.5 per cent share of votes in Punjab, has eaten into the vote share of both the SAD-BJP and the Congress.
Party’s Sunday meeting also condemned attack on party workers in the run up to the by-poll to Talwandi Sabo Assembly segment held on August 21.
Party’s Punjab unit spokesperson and senior supreme court advocate HS Phoolka alleged that AAP volunteers and activists are “intimidated and harassed” by the ruling Akalis. “A strong nexus between political leaders, corrupt officers, criminals and drug traffickers existed in the state, and it is the major cause of sufferings of the people of Punjab,” he added.
The meeting also observed that Congress in Punjab had “surrendered” before the Akali’s lawlessness in the state, he said. “Congress in Punjab is full of corrupt politicians…AAP is the only alternative that can provide clean politicians to the state and the country,” he said.