AAP all set to sound poll bugle from Mohali today

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, March 10

The AAP is all set to launch its election campaign in Punjab from Monday, with party national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann seeking votes in the name of their “pro-farmer, anti-corruption and anti-dynastic politics”.

Will reveal LS poll promises, guarantees

• The campaign launch event will be marked by the party revealing its election promises and guarantees to be given for the 2024 Lok Sabha poll before the party leaders and media
• Both Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann will highlight how their brand of politics is different from the traditional political parties

The campaign will be launched from Mohali. Kejriwal reached Chandigarh from Kurukshetra this evening. At the launch of the party election campaign, the leadership will not only project the facilities given to the masses such as free power, doorstep delivery of ration, mohalla clinics etc, but also take on the Opposition.

Sources say that since both AAP and the Congress are part of the INDIA bloc, the AAP leadership is expected to deliver “softer blows” to the Congress as compared to the Akali Dal and the BJP. They will target the Akali Dal on the “drug and sacrilege issues”, while the BJP will be targeted over its "anti-farmer policies".

Kejriwal and Mann will launch the party election campaign, but the names of the candidates are unlikely to be announced immediately.

Sources in the party say that in the wake of a likely formidable challenge to be posed by Opposition parties, the party has been keen on some ministers and MLAs contesting the poll. Multiple pre-poll surveys conducted by the ruling party have favoured the candidature of some ministers and sitting MLAs for contesting the Lok Sabha polls. However, three ministers (other than Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, the likely candidate for Sangrur) are learnt to have been pleading with the party top brass for not being fielded in the election fray. As a result, the announcement of the party candidates could be delayed by a day or two.

Kejriwal, during his stay in the city, is expected to take stock of the situation and a final decision on the candidates, will be taken. “The announcement of candidates could be done only on Wednesday or Thursday,” confirmed a party source.

The party would also like to wait for the ongoing efforts being made for the Akali-BJP poll alliance, before naming its candidates for the 13 seats. This alliance, if it is forged, will see the AAP fielding Panthic faces from Anandpur Sahib, Amritsar and Khadoor Sahib.

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