AAP membership drive from Friday

The party targets 10 million members, application for candidates invited till Jan 15; initial list by January 20

Encouraged by the enormous response following its impressive debut in the Delhi elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to go pan-India, with a national membership drive from January 10 to 26. AAP hopes to enroll around 10 million members through the drive main bhi aam aadmi (I am also a common man), to be led by senior functionary Gopal Rai.

This was decided on Sunday at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) at the Constitutional Club here. AAP said it will not contest all the 545 Lok Sabha seats; it will field candidates where there is a strong possibility of winning.

“After we formed the government in Delhi, many people have shown keen interest in joining the party... Hence this membership drive,” said NEC member Yogendra Yadav.

“The party had initially thought it would contest from limited seats. We have changed our mind, looking at the huge response we have got. We may not contest all the 545 seats but hope to fight from at least 15-20 states.”

According to a party source, present in the meeting, AAP has a strong grip in Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Punjab. The best response has been from Maharashtra, where AAP plans to fight both Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, said another NEC member.

AAP is unlikely to contest from states in the North-east, where the party doesn’t have much influence, sources said.

The party has said it will contest from all the seven seats in Delhi and 10 seats in Haryana.

“Assembly elections in Haryana are due in October but there is speculation it might be held earlier or along with the Lok Sabha polls. The party has decided to contest all the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats from the state,” said Yadav.

AAP will have a national manifesto and might also have constituency-wise manifestos, like it did in Delhi. “Thirty-one committees were set up on policy in one year. Various issues were discussed and that will be a starting point for the manifesto. The party believes that in March, we will release the manifesto,” he added.

AAP has invited applications for the candidates till 15 January and has received 100 complete applications till date. The initial list of the final candidates will be released by 20 January. A state coordination committee comprising five members has been set up, which will screen the candidates and give its opinion to the party’s political affairs committee (PAC), which will take a final call on candidates.

The party also set up a national campaign coordination committee with Yogendra Yadav, Pankaj Gupta and Sanjay Singh as members. The committee will look into decision making, fund-raising, and manifestos.
PLAN OF ACTION

• Application for candidates invited till Jan 15; initial list by January 20
• Manifesto by March; may go for constituency-wise manifestos too
• Will fight all seats in Haryana, Delhi
• 15-20 states under radar for polls