AAP ready to contest Raj, MP, Chandigarh polls

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party is ready to contest the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan with full strength and the names of candidates will be declared soon, its national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Monday.

The Election Commission has announced that assembly polls in Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana will be held on different days beginning November 7 and the votes will be counted on December 3.

Asked about the AAP’s preparation for the polls, Kejriwal said, “We are prepared to contest the elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh with full strength.” When asked whether his party will contest the elections as part of the INDIA bloc, he said that “whatever happens will be apprised”. Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are currently ruled by the Congress, which like the AAP is a partner in the opposition INDIA alliance.

Terming the allegations against AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh as a political conspiracy, the party’s HP unit on Monday staged a protest in Shimla against the Centre.

The party workers, under the leadership of state president Surjeet Thakur, gathered outside the deputy commissioner’s (DC) office and raised slogans against the BJP-led central government. Sanjay Singh was arrested on Wednesday (October 4) by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case linked with the Delhi liquor policy. Opposing the arrest, Thakur said these allegations and arrests are nothing but political conspiracies against AAP and opposition leaders.

Talking to the media persons, Thakur said it is very unfortunate that the central government is arresting AAP leaders without any solid reason and asked the government to provide strong evidence against the leaders.

“Even I can say that I have paid Rs 15 lakh to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but they will not arrest him and will ask me to provide proof and this is what we are asking the government - to provide evidence,” he said.

He said the Union government does not have any strong evidence to prove that AAP leaders are involved in corruption, and their agenda is to arrest leaders of other parties who oppose their anti-people policies.