Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday takes a quick U-turn on its earlier stand about not contesting polls in Maharashtra. The Party now has said that it will contest both Lok Sabha Polls and Assembly Polls in the state. Maharashtra sends 48 Parliamentarians to the lower house, second highest after Uttar Pradesh that sends 80. While Maharashtra has 288 assembly seats.

Assembly Polls in the state are due for second phase of 2019, months after Lok Sabha 2019 that are slated for April-May.

AAP Leader Brigadier (retd) Sudhir Sawant, speaking to reporters, said, “The AAP Maharashtra will contest both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Wherever a possibility appears of defeating the BJP, the party would contest the polls.”

Earlier this week on Monday, AAP has maintained that the party will not contest the Lok Sabha Polls in Maharashtra. Aam Aadmi Party Spokesperson Preeti Sharma had on Monday said that “The party will fight Lok Sabha polls in four states – Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Goa. But, it has decided not to contest in Maharashtra”

She added, “As of now, we are not contesting any seat in Maharashtra, but the party may take a view on a few seats if we feel it will help defeat the BJP,” Ms Menon said reportedly. AAP to focus on strongholds, announces not to contest Lok Sabha Polls in Maharashtra

However, Pointing guns towards BJP and Prime Minister, She said, The party [AAP] wants to save democracy from the “clutches” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, so “we will devote all our strength on the seats where we are certain we can defeat them”.

However, Party insider claims that state executive committee in its meeting on January 19, decided that ticket aspirants should submit an application to the party by January 31.  Efforts are also on to forge an alliance of anti-BJP parties for the polls. The decision about this will be taken on February 5,” said a party insider.

Earlier, while reacting to party’s first stand about not contesting Polls, Former AAP Leader Mayank Gandhi lashed out at Party and said if the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, which rules the Delhi Assembly, contests in Maharashtra, it may not even get a few thousand votes and become a “laughing stock”. Notably, the party had drawn a blank in the state in the 2014 general elections.

AAP since last two years has suffered setbacks in Maharashtra after its prominent leaders like Mayank Gandhi and Anjali Damania quit the party.

It is noteworthy, the party has failed to expand its base outside Delhi.

ALSO READ: Politics heat up in UP; Congress workers want Priyanka Gandhi to take on PM Modi in Varanasi in LS Polls

By talharashid

Part-time Traveler| Full-time Political Enthusiast | Foodie | Strong Believer of Freedom of Speech and Expressions!

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