SRINAGAR: Buoyed by party’s victory in Assembly polls in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of Arvind Kejriwal is now eyeing Jammu and Kashmir and strengthening its base in the region with an eye on the forthcoming Assembly polls in the Union Territory.
The AAP is focusing on the Jammu region, which is spread over 10 districts and would have 43 Assembly seats in the 90-member J&K Assembly after the delimitation exercise is completed. The AAP is increasingly focusing on three districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban in Chenab Valley and border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Pir Panjal region, where the influence of BJP is less as compared to five other districts of Jammu region – Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Reasi.
According to political commentators, since the influence of Congress is on decline in Chenab Valley, Pir Panjal region and mainland Jammu, the AAP is eyeing to occupy the space created by weakening of Congress. The AAP intends to emerge as a major challenger to the saffron party in Jammu region.
The AAP recently held an impressive road show in Doda district. It was led by AAP leader Mehraj Malik, who won Doda District Development Council (DDC) poll as an independent candidate in 2020. Farooq Ahmad Banday, AAP’s co-convener, J&K, told this newspaper that the popularity of the AAP is increasing in J&K with each passing day
“We are witnessing the daily joining of thousands of people in the Jammu region. We have got thousands of active members in every constituency. Many panchayat and DDC members have joined the party,” he said.
Steering clear of BJP
AAP is increasingly focusing on three districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban in Chenab Valley and border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Pir Panjal region where the influence of BJP
is less