Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal’s rally in Varanasi on Tuesday, seeking people’s approval for his decision to take on Narendra Modi is only a formality now as campaigning for the former Delhi chief minister is already in full swing in the holy city.
While Kejriwal boarded a train to Varanasi on Monday, a team of volunteers and senior party leaders has been camping in the temple city for the last two weeks preparing poll strategy and Kejriwal’s rally.
The volunteers, mainly from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, have been holding public meetings, door-to-door campaigns and street plays while senior leaders led by Sanjay Singh are meeting students, professors, lawyers, traders, religious groups and other influential people.
The party wants to replicate the successful campaign model it followed in the Delhi Assembly elections.
The AAP, which has decided to contest all seats in UP, has also come up with a five-page pamphlet to be distributed in Varanasi apprising people why Kejriwal is contesting against Modi and the Gujarat CM’s association with Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani.
AAP volunteers, during public meetings, will also screen testimonials of people of Gujarat telling the sorry state of development in the state. “Kejriwal’s Varanasi rally will kick start his poll campaign and the referendum is now a formality. We have prepared a road map in run-up to the elections in Varanasi and he along with his team of volunteers will shift to Varanasi after polling is over in Delhi on April 10,” said a senior party leader.
Kejriwal is expected to do road shows, interactive sessions with people and group meetings to reach out to voters in the BJP bastion.
Party’s prominent face and candidate from Amethi Kumar Vishwas is also likely to woo the voters with his poetry and couplets.
“The complete team of volunteers from Delhi will shift to Varanasi once the polling in Delhi is over. We are working hard to make a very tough fight and are hopeful that people will vote for Kejriwal in order to weed out corruption from our system,” the leader said.
Kejriwal has been attacking Modi from the past several days over his “false” claims of development in Gujarat.
Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Monday lashed out at Modi saying party’s slogan of ‘Ab ki bar, Modi sarkar’ (This time it will be Modi’s government) was unconstitutional as “India cannot be run by an individual”. Sibal also said there were reports in a section of the media about the prospect of the exchange rate of rupee against the dollar improving dramatically if there is a government headed by Modi. “An atmosphere is being created that Modi is remedy to every problem,” he said.
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