AAP announces candidates for 10 seats in Gujarat, much ahead of time

The Aam Aadmi Party, on Tuesday, released the first list of its candidates for 10 out of the 182 seats in Gujarat Assembly election—expected to be held by the year-end—much ahead of its scheduled announcement. The party said that announcement was part of a “strategy” to give its candidates time for preparation, to take on the might of Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Indian National Congress.

The decision comes a day after the party’s national convener, and Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal visited Gir Somnath district in Saurashtra, where he promised creation of 10 lakh jobs and Rs 3000 unemployed allowance if AAP was voted to power. This time, his trip also included visits to temples. In his last visit, he had announced 300 units of free electricity, if his party was voted to power.

AAP’s first list of candidates includes Bhemabhai Chaudhary from Deodar constituency in Banaskantha, Arjun Rathva from Chhota Udepur, popular farmers’ leader Sagar Rabari from Becharaji in Mehsana, Om Prakash Tiwari from Naroda among others.

The candidates are said to be the most “loyal”—many of them being associated with the party for quite a while. Chaudhary is the vice-president and is one of the founding members of the party’s Gujarat unit. Interestingly, most of these candidates are from other backward castes, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe.

Besides pitching the “Delhi model” of “free electricity, better government-run schools and hospitals”, Kejriwal is also seeking votes with “soft Hindutva”.

The Delhi chief minister already announced, as his party’s poll promise, free pilgrimage for senior citizens to religious places, including Lord Ram’s birthplace Ayodhya, while his public speeches were laced with religious and patriotic slogans.

Political experts say that “AAP is a copycat of BJP. They are promising clean and good governance with Hindutva touch.”

AAP is also preparing for the polls with certain backroom strategies, which is being led by the party's “Chanakya”—Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, Sandeep Pathak.

Sources said that the party appointed scores of youngsters to keep tab on leaders assigned to look after their respective constituencies. “These hired people, mostly youngsters, are monitoring party leaders’ moves in all 182 constituencies. There is a war room in Ahmedabad from where these activities are monitored,” sources in the party said.

AAP’s Gujarat president Gopal Italiya didn’t refute this, and said, “We are doing everything to defeat the BJP.”

Talking about the announcement of the list of party candidates so early, he said: “This is certainly to give our candidates time to prepare. It is also to give the janta (public) the chance to know our leaders.”