AMRITSAR: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has now decided to keep its Delhi team away from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha by-poll. Arvind Kejriwal's party will contest the elections, date for which is yet to be announced, once the new organisational structure is set in place in Punjab.
AAP's vice-president Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said, “There will be no role of the Delhi team in the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha by-poll, however, our star campaigners will canvass in the constituency and hold meetings with the Punjab team, which will have the final say in local matters.” The Delhi team was held responsible for the party's poor performance by local leaders. Several prominent members had also openly expressed their disappointment with the top leadership during two party meetings held in early March.
Dhaliwal said state AAP president Bhagwant Mann would formally launch the campaign for the Gurdaspur by-poll during the Rakkhar Punnia fair to be held at Baba Bakala. In the triangular contest, the party will take on both SAD-BJP and Congress for their unfulfilled promises. “The Congress in Punjab actually replicated the BJP's model of the 2014 parliamentary elections by making empty promises to instantly influence voters, only to put them aside. Both built castles in air, but didn't deliver anything substantial to the people on the ground.”
Gurbhej Singh, another leader from the party said they would totally rely on the party's strength under the new structure coupled with focus on the failure of both the SAD-BJP and Congress governments. Dhaliwal claimed, “BJP fielding Kavita (Khanna) will go in our favour as there was a large concentration of businessmen in Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Dinanagar, who are upset with the BJP government.”
