AAP begins poll campaign in Gujarat with a roadshow in Ahmedabad

Aam Aadmi Party on Monday launched its election campaign for the state of Gujarat with a roadshow in the city, with its senior leader Gopal Rai calling BJP in the state as “arrogant, corrupt and murderer”.

Speaking to media persons before the start of the roadshow, Gopal Rai said that the pride of BJP had exceeded higher than Mount Everest. “When people come out to seek justice, against corruption, unemployment, deteriorating condition of schools, injustice to farmers, arrogant BJP government has only given them sticks and bullets...people will answer them with ballots in elections,” he said.

Rai also alleged that it was impossible in Gujarat to get any work done without corruption.

AAP claimed that more than 1000 vehicles, 700 bikes, 200 autorickshaws and 10 publicity raths with 5000 workers from across the state joined in the roadshow that lasted across the 21-km route, beginning from Naroda area to Sabarmati Ashram in the late evening.

Interestingly, AAP had gone into quiet mode after drubbing at hustings in Punjab and Goa Assembly polls last year and was having second thoughts of fighting elections in Gujarat. This, after its supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, had begun making frequent visits to the state and aligning himself with the causes of Patels who are agitating for past two years seeking quotas and Dalits who were facing attacks in the state.

It is after pressure from workers in the local unit of Gujarat that AAP decided to jump into the fray that generally is a two-way fight between BJP and Congress. AAP, that had initially expressed willingness to have a candidate on all 182 Assembly constituencies, it has not clarified off late as to how many of the 182 seats would it contest.