The AAP which grabbed Congress’s land in Delhi and Punjab, now wants to present itself against the BJP across the country.
Elections in Himachal Pradesh have been announced by the Election Commission. Voting is to be held in the state on November 12, while the schedule for the Gujarat Assembly elections is yet to be released. However, if we look at the Aam Aadmi Party, its focus is more on Gujarat than Himachal. After winning Punjab in March this year, Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal had visited districts like Mandi, Shimla and Kangra in Himachal Pradesh several times in a row. It was felt then that the Aam Aadmi Party would be a big player in this time’s assembly elections.
But the elections are near and the focus of the Aam Aadmi Party is now less visible on the hill state. This is because the Congress has a relatively strong position in the hill state. Leaders like Pratibha Singh, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Mukesh Agnihotri and Sudhir Sharma are present in the state even after the departure of Virbhadra Singh.
These leaders have a good reputation in the state and the workers on the ground are also stronger than in Gujarat. In such a situation, amidst the strength of the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party may not have seen much fertile ground for itself. Apart from this, even after performing well in 68-seat Himachal Pradesh, the hope of getting its benefits across the country was also less visible.
Instead, the Aam Aadmi Party decided to work harder in the Gujarat field, perhaps because that is where PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah come from. In such a situation, if the Aam Aadmi Party performs well in Modi’s home state, then Arvind Kejriwal can redeem it across the country.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which has grabbed the Congress’s ground in Delhi and Punjab, now wants to project itself against the BJP across the country. So a good performance in Gujarat elections can create a narrative for it.
