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Having failed in ‘14, Kejri eyes gains in 2019 polls

Having failed in making an impact in Haryana in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is hoping for…

Having failed in ‘14, Kejri eyes gains in 2019 polls

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Having failed in making an impact in Haryana in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is hoping for a better performance in 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in party supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s home state.

Besides Kejriwal who will hold a road show in the state Saturday, the party hopes to gain from the fact that some of its ministers and legislators in Delhi have their roots in Haryana.

Even party’s Rajya Sabha member, Sushil Kumar Gupta, has several educational institutions in Haryana. AAP also hopes to gain from the fact a big number of its voters in Delhi also have their roots in Haryana specially in the National Capital region.

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By attacking existing political parties, including Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) for playing caste politics, AAP intends to spread its wings in Haryana by presenting its model of governance adopted in neighbouring Delhi.

AAP’s Haryana unit chief Naveen Jaihind said by giving basic amenities like power and water at cheaper rates, more compensation to families of martyrs, more remuneration and compensation to farmers, Kejriwal government has set an example and AAP can deliver the same in the state (Haryana).

Jaihind said there is vacuum in Haryana politics and AAP can fill it up as the party doesn’t believe in politics of caste, region and religion.

Indicating that Haryana tops his priority list, AAP convener Kejriwal has already held a rally in Hisar on 24 March, and in a week’s time the Delhi Chief Minister is set to hold a roadshow on Saturday. Starting from Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), it would reach Kejriwal’s native place Siwani in Hisar after passing through Rohtak and Bhiwani.

Unlike in 2014 when the AAP decided against contesting Assembly elections, Kejriwal has already announced that the party will contest the Assembly election in Haryana in2019.

But despite being on a high following its victory in Delhi Assembly polls, AAP however failed to make an impact in 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Haryana.

Having fielded political greenhorns in all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, AAP failed to open an account and its candidates finished at fourth and fifth positions.

Even party’s prominent face at that time, Yogendra Yadav, who has now left the party, contested from the Gurugram constituency but finished a poor fourth, bagging a total of 79,452 votes.

Even Kejriwal’s home constituency Hisar, AAP candidate YS Khyalia won just 28,490 votes and finished at number fifth spot.

In Rohtak, the current state unit chief Jaihind managed just 46,759 votes and ended up at the fourth spot. The AAP managed to get a vote share of 4.2 per cent in the 2014 elections.

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