The National Capital’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has started its planning for the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2019 as the party is focusing to win at least 25 seats out of the 100 in the election to position itself better in case of a non-BJP Government formation.
“In the emerging political scenario, winning 25 Lok Sabha seats will ensure the Aam Aadmi Party is in a “comfortable” position to strike a bargain with other parties after the general election in 2019,”said a senior party leader.
Eyeing on the 100 potential seats, the party is aiming to win the 25 seats especially in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. “The party is eyeing 100 potential seats. We will do whatever it takes to win at least 25 seats, particularly in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, where we have a strong presence and effective organisational set up,” said the official.
According to the information, the AAP is planning to contest the next Lok Sabha Election in around three states that includes Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
“Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat are other states where it plans to contest selected Lok Sabha seats. The AAP currently holds four Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. The state has 13 Lok Sabha seats and the AAP would work to raise its tally as it is an opposition party in Punjab Assembly”, said the other party leader said.
AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently visited areas in Haryana, where state party head Navin Jaihind has been able to strengthen the organisation in several constituencies, he said.
“We will work hard to pose a tough challenge to BJP and Congress on all the 10 seats in Haryana,” he said. In the run-up to the elections, the AAP leadership has upped the ante against the Narendra Modi government, with Kejriwal targeting the prime minister on the political controversy around the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters from France.
On Sunday, the two AAP leaders said a mix of local and national issues would be helpful in achieving success in the next Lok Sabha poll.
Other party leaders, including Kejriwal, have been lately saying in their public meetings that if AAP had won Delhi’s seven seats in 2014, it would have handled issues such as the ongoing drive to seal illegal commercial establishment in a more effective way.
In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party won all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The next year, AAP was voted to power in the national capital after winning 67 Assembly seats out of the total 70.