Headlines
After Delhi success, AAP to go national
Ghaziabad, March 17
A month after it took
power in Delhi after crushing the BJP and the Congress, the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) announced on Tuesday that it has decided to go national.
"After
our spectacular victory in Delhi and seeing the love of the people, we
have decided to expand at the national level," party leader Sanjay Singh
told the media here.
The AAP's Political Affairs Committee
(PAC), its highest decision-making body, also decided to enrol "active
volunteers" and to form a committee to decide their role in different
states.
Five of the PAC's seven members met at the residence of
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who returned to the capital late
on Monday after 10 days of naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru for his
nagging cough and high blood sugar.
The AAP, India's youngest political party, would also decide in which states it should contest elections, Sanjay Singh said.
He
added that the crisis in the party would soon end, and party leaders
would reach out to Prashant Bhushan, who, along with Yogendra Yadav, was
ousted from the PAC this month.
Those who took part in the
meeting included Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Delhi minister
Gopal Rai, Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh. Ashish Khetan and Dilip Pandey
also attended. Two PAC members were not in town.
Tuesday's
announcement marks the most significant decisions taken by the AAP
following the return to Delhi of Kejriwal, who had earlier expressed his
reservations about fighting elections in other parts of the country.
Yadav has time and again insisted that party spreads itself.
AAP
leaders have in the past stated that the party was determined to
contest the next assembly election in Punjab, where it scored a quarter
of all votes in the Lok Sabha polls. Of over 400 Lok Sabha seats it
contested, the party won only four seats in Punjab.
The AAP is
also said to be keen to fight municipal elections in Mumbai and
Bengaluru, two cities where it enjoys a wide network of volunteers.
Kejriwal loyalists had a late Monday night meeting with Yadav.
"We
met and discussed the issues. We will definitely let you know if
something constructive happens," Sanjay Singh told the media on Tuesday.
Later
in the day, Kejriwal reportedly sent a text message to Bhushan saying
"will meet soon". Bhushan had sought time with Kejriwal.