Just before the announcement of the Bihar Assembly election dates, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced that it will contest all 243 assembly seats on its own and released the first list of 11 candidates.
Addressing the media in Patna on Monday, AAP’s Bihar President Rakesh Yadav and state in-charge Ajesh Yadav said that the AAP is no longer part of the INDIA Alliance and declared that it will contest the elections independently.
“We are not part of any political alliance. Our alliance is with the people of Bihar, who have supported us immensely in Delhi. We are confident that they will support us in Bihar as well,” said Ajesh Yadav.
He said that the party will go to the people of Bihar with the “Arvind Kejriwal’s governance model” which has been approved by people of Delhi and Punjab. Migration, unemployment, and inflation will remain the core issues the party will focus on.
Following electoral performances in Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir, the party is now aiming to establish a political foothold in Bihar. During the past few months, the party has intensified its activities in the state, with senior party leaders including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh having made key visits to Patna as part of election preparations.
Ajesh Yadav said that AAP’s top leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Man and Sanjay Singh have visited Bihar in the past. Senior leaders will visit again to address the people of Bihar soon.
The list of 11 candidates includes Dr. Meera Singh from Begusarai, Yogi Choupal from Kusheshwar Asthan (Darbhanga), Amit Kumar Singh from Taraiya (Saran), Bhanu Bhartiya from Kasba (Purnia), Shubhada Yadav from Benipatti (Madhubani), Arun Kumar Rajak from Phulwarisharif (Patna), Dr. Pankaj Kumar from Bankipur (Patna), Ashraf Alam from Kishanganj (Kishanganj), Akhilesh Narayan Thakur from Parihar (Sitamarhi), Ashok Kumar Singh from Govindganj (East Champaran) and Retired-Captain Dharmraj Singh from Buxar (Buxar).