JOIN USKejriwal to visit Gujarat to inaugurate AAP headquaters, induct new faces
Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal is likely to visit Ahmedabad on June 14 to inaugurate the party's state headquarters and induct new faces to the party, officials said on Saturday.
Kejriwal's visit, the second this year, is set to give impetus to the party trying hard to recruit workers across the state in a bid to prepare for the 2022 Assembly election.
"He (Kejriwal) is coming on June 14 to inaugurate the state office in Ahmedabad," said Tuli Banerjee, state media in-charge. She said that it took almost a year to get a property on rent to run it as the party's state office. "For the past one year, we were trying to get a space to run as our main office. There are instances when the landlord backed out at the last moment fearing repercussions from the ruling party. We somehow managed to get this place," Banerjee told DH.
Earlier in February, Kejriwal had visited Surat after his party won 27 seats in Surat Municipal Corporation for the first time, decimating the Congress which failed to open an account.
AAP is now in opposition in Surat corporation which has been a stronghold of the ruling BJP.
AAP officials said that few prominent faces are likely to be inducted into the party in Kejriwal's presence. Ever since its victory in Surat corporation polls, AAP has been making efforts to recruit workers across the state in its preparation for the 2022 Assembly polls. In Surat district alone, several hundred BJP workers joined AAP, leaving the BJP red-faced.
Incidentally, BJP is holding a legislative party meet on June 15 where each office bearer and legislator has been asked to remain present. Party officials have said that these legislators will be briefed about the government's performance during the second wave of coronavirus pandemic and other measures taken to help people. Party insiders said that some "dissenting voices" have emerged during the peak of the second wave. Besides, there is resentment against the party leaders among the public due to "large scale deaths of Covid-19 patients, lack of medical infrastructure and absence of leaders on grassroots to help the public."