AAP may field 5 Punjab ministers for Lok Sabha poll

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, February 5

As the ruling party begins exercise to strategise for the upcoming Lok Sabha poll, it is likely to fall back on “personality-based politics”.

With elections to the Lok Sabha expected to be announced within a month, the Aam Aadmi Party proposes to bring in prominent faces of the party to jump in the fray. The party is “actively considering” the names of five sitting ministers who will throw their hats in the political arena as the party prepares to contest the poll independently in Punjab.

Though no one within the party is willing to go on record, sources have told The Tribune that the names of five ministers are under consideration for being named as candidates for Amritsar, Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda and Faridkot Lok Sabha seats. The ministers represent Assembly constituencies that are part of the Lok Sabha constituencies from where they will fight.

“These ministers have a good public interface and worked at the grassroots level and played a significant role in forming the block-level and village-level committees in their constituencies. Some ministers have also started spending maximum time in their constituencies and are re-establishing their core teams for a public outreach ahead of the elections,” three senior party leaders said.

In November last year, all party leaders – right from the state unit’s working president to ministers, MLAs and district presidents of AAP – were allotted five blocks each and asked to set up and strengthen the organisational structure at the village level. With these units now set up, the party is hopeful of a good performance in the poll.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has already ruled out an alliance with the Congress though both are members of the INDIA bloc. This is as much because of the ruling dispensation having accused the Congress and its leaders as being corrupt all through the past three years as because they feel that the main vote bank of the Congress — urban Hindus of Punjab — seem to be swayed by the religio-politics and rallying behind the BJP this time.

AAP had come to power with an overwhelming majority in 2022. The strategy of seeking votes for the party had worked then.

The likely seats

• They are being considered for the Amritsar, Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda and Faridkot Lok Sabha seats
• The ministers represent Assembly segments that are part of the Lok Sabha constituencies from where they are likely to fight