NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seems to have a strategy to make a mark in Himachal Pradesh. It’s banking on ex-servicemen to boost its electoral fortunes in the state where assembly elections are due later this year. Himachal Pradesh has a sizable number of ex-servicemen. The number is estimated to be around 1,30,000. The number of active servicemen is nearly 1,25,000 and also, there are about 30,000 widows who were married to servicemen. With an eye on attracting this population, the party headed by Arvind Kejriwal has started contacting them.
Sources told this newspaper that AAP has got in touch with several ex-servicemen residing in the state. They believe the response has been positive. It can be noted that in Uttarakhand, another state with a large population of servicemen, AAP had tried something similar by naming Colonel (retd) Ajay Kothail its chief ministerial candidate. That move, however, did not click.
“As a normal estimate, if we count four members in a family of those connected with the soldiers and ex-soldiers, it comes between 10 to 12 lakh and it’s a substantial number in a state with a population of around 70 lakh,” said an AAP leader who is based out of Delhi.
In Himachal Pradesh, AAP is desperate to capture the space previously occupied by Congress, while BJP continues to be the numero uno force in the state. In the last assembly elections, BJP won 44 of the 68 seats and formed the government. Congress had won 21 and it is widely believed that the popularity of the grand old party is on the wane.
The AAP leadership has started holding rallies in Himachal Pradesh and on Saturday, Kejriwal addressed one in Kangra district. Sources disclosed that more such outreach programmes are on the cards. The saffron brigade has also started preparations and BJP president JP Nadda had a roadshow in Kangra a day before Kejriwal’s rally.