After an unsuccessful attempt to make inroads in Himachal Pradesh in 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday said preparations were underway to contest the 2027 assembly elections.
AAP’s state in-charge Rituraj Jha said, “The party is preparing to contest the assembly elections. It is strengthening its organisation from the grassroots and aiming to emerge as an alternative to the BJP and the Congress.”
Addressing mediapersons after inaugurating the party’s new state office in Shimla, he said AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal was expected to visit the state capital around November 15 to outline the party’s future strategy. He said seven to eight leaders were also expected to join the party during the visit.
“The people of Himachal Pradesh are fed up with both the BJP and the Congress, which have failed to fulfil their promises, whether it is building good schools, providing ₹1,500 to women, offering 300 units of free electricity, or generating employment for the youth. However, AAP has delivered on its promises in Punjab, and it wants to replicate its governance model in Himachal Pradesh,” he said.
Jha said the party had been working on organisational expansion for the past year and was mapping potential leaders while strengthening its network at the grassroots level. He said more than 20,000 new members had joined AAP across Himachal Pradesh, adding that membership drives were underway in more than 50 assembly constituencies. The party has set a target of enrolling at least five lakh new members, he added.
Referring to the previous assembly elections, Jha said AAP had been unable to sustain its campaign in Himachal Pradesh in 2022 owing to the arrest of its senior leaders, which disrupted the party’s organisational activities. “Our leaders were put in jail, and the entire organisational effort was disrupted. We had to step back. Now our leaders are out, and we are preparing to contest the 2027 elections with full strength,” he said.
In the 2022 assembly elections, AAP managed to secure just 1.10% of the total votes cast. In constituencies like Dalhousie, Kasumpti, Chopal, Arki, Chamba, and Churah, the NOTA option got more votes than what AAP received.
Shailee Dogra is a Principal Correspondent covering Himachal Pradesh. While working with Hindustan Times since February 2006, her journalism experience spans across covering crime, court, Mohali, Panchkula, in addition to covering the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Reporting for Himachal Bureau, she covers politics, security, public policy, finance, industries and commerce, rural development, legal affairs, environment. Her focus is the socio-political landscape of the hill state, with a specific emphasis on the environment, forest conservation, drug menace, affairs related to tribal areas of the state.Read More