On Monday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that it will contest all 182 seats in the 2022 Gujarat legislative assembly polls. The announcement was made by AAP leader and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
“Our candidates will contest on all seats,” said Delhi CM Kejriwal during a press conference held at the circuit house.
“People here (Gujarat) think if electricity can be free in Delhi, why not here? Likewise, for hospitals also the condition has not improved in 70 years here. But things will change now,” he said.
In the 2017 state elections, AAP had contested 29 seats and got 0.62 percent votes in the contested constituencies. A total of 66 parties were in the battle wherein the BJP won 99 seats and the Congress 77 seats respectively.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was on a one-day visit to Gujarat. Kejriwal was given a grand welcome at the Ahmedabad airport by AAP workers. Later, they then reached the circuit house where they held a press conference.
Speaking about the derelict conditions of the common people in Gujarat, Kejriwal said, “Farmers of Gujarat are committing suicide, people of Gujarat are upset, traders are scared. Some time ago Gujarat Chambers invited me but the government forced the chambers to cancel my program.”
The Delhi CM also accused the Centre of ignoring PM Modi’s home state Gujarat during the pandemic, contradicting his own statement alleging partiality towards Gujarat in oxygen distribution.
Moreover, speaking about the significance of Gujarat in the political landscape of the country, AAP leader said, “Gujarat has always contributed to politics. Even during independence, we saw leaders like Sardar Patel emerge.
Kejriwal also said that the provision of basic amenities and the multifaceted development is stuck in severe bottlenecks, and held BJP and Congress responsible for the same.
“…we see only BJP and Congress fighting with each other and for past 27 years, there is only one party in Gujarat. The people of Gujarat did not have an option till now. Now, they do. We will contest in all seats in Gujarat,” said Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal.
In reply to one of the queries from the media personnel, Kejriwal said his party would not bring Delhi model to Gujarat, as each state can have its own model. The model of Gujarat will be decided by the people of Gujarat, he added.
With the arrival of the AAP, Kejriwal said, Gujarat is bracing for a change. Entry of Isudan Gadhvi would only expedite the process, Kejriwal added.
Kejriwal called Gadhvi’s joining the AAP as a “huge sacrifice of a promising career to clean the mess that the ruling party, together with the Congress, had created in Gujarat.”
“Gadhvi has left a plum career for AAP…You can bring a change from outside the system, but there is a limitation to this. So, Gadhvi decided to join the system and clean the mess,” Kejriwal added.