NEW DELHI: Aiming to build its support base in rural Uttar Pradesh, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) announced to contest the panchayat polls in the state, scheduled to be held around April next year. Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh announced on Twitter that Delhi cabinet minister Rajendra Pal Gautam has been made observer for the panchayat polls while Assembly Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla and MLA Surendra Kumar have been made co-incharge for UP.
The decision appears to be AAP’s signal to the BJP government led by Yogi Adityanath to take it seriously in the 2022 assembly elections, for which the party has already deployed Sanjay Singh to lead its campaign. This will be first time when a political party that’s not based in the state has decided to contest the panchayat elections.
UP has 60,000 village panchayats and elections to these are considered a precursor to the assembly polls. AAP’s decision also indicates its resolve to raise its cadres, network and leadership before the big battle of 2022. Elaborating on the Delhibased party’s plan to expand its footprints in UP, Gautam said.
“Our main focus for the next three months will be to expand our organisational base in UP. By mid next year, a member of AAP will be present in each village. The Delhi model of governance, education and health infrastructure will be publicised among the people.”