After emerging as a successful political force in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party
wave has hit Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The party has embarked on an
unprecedented membership drive, attracting the young and the idealistic
in Lucknow, Patna and other cities and small towns in the two bellwether
North Indian states.
From just 5,000 —before the Delhi assembly election results— to the current figure of 33,000, the growth in AAP membership in Lucknow alone is a sign of the party's potential appeal in UP. In Bihar, at 15 camps around Patna and in 37 other districts, AAP volunteers have written out 60,000 membership receipts in the weeks after the election outcome were announced on 8 December. Such is the enthusiasm that the newly formed party has run out of membership forms; the headquarters in Delhi has been asked to supply another 20,000.
In UP, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas' decision to challenge Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi had made national headlines. But beyond Amethi, AAP fever is gripping several key cities in India's most electorally significant state. Retired engineer Shailendra Dubey, academic Sudhir Panwar, Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan and many others figures are in discussions among APP volunteers as possible candidates for Lucknow, Allahabad and other high-profile constituencies.
AAP spokesperson Badri Narain is not revealing names, but said that several prominent figures have approached the party to contest the 2014 polls from UP. The party has already started putting booth-level agents in place. "We are appointing local coordinators who will keep in touch with about 50 families in their locality. During polls, they will be assigned polling booths to ensure our voters do not have problems and also to take up official duties during counting of votes," said Narain. Similarly, the party is also in the process of appointing ward coordinators and assembly segment coordinators in the run-up to the polls.
Earlier, only the young and the restless were keen on AAP. However, the dramatic outcome of the Delhi assembly elections transformed the atmosphere, explained Iftikar Hussain, district executive committee member for AAP's Lucknow unit. "People from all walks of life and economic strata are joining us. It is as if they were waiting for the Delhi results to see AAP's performance." said Hussain. source>:TOI
From just 5,000 —before the Delhi assembly election results— to the current figure of 33,000, the growth in AAP membership in Lucknow alone is a sign of the party's potential appeal in UP. In Bihar, at 15 camps around Patna and in 37 other districts, AAP volunteers have written out 60,000 membership receipts in the weeks after the election outcome were announced on 8 December. Such is the enthusiasm that the newly formed party has run out of membership forms; the headquarters in Delhi has been asked to supply another 20,000.
In UP, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas' decision to challenge Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi had made national headlines. But beyond Amethi, AAP fever is gripping several key cities in India's most electorally significant state. Retired engineer Shailendra Dubey, academic Sudhir Panwar, Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan and many others figures are in discussions among APP volunteers as possible candidates for Lucknow, Allahabad and other high-profile constituencies.
AAP spokesperson Badri Narain is not revealing names, but said that several prominent figures have approached the party to contest the 2014 polls from UP. The party has already started putting booth-level agents in place. "We are appointing local coordinators who will keep in touch with about 50 families in their locality. During polls, they will be assigned polling booths to ensure our voters do not have problems and also to take up official duties during counting of votes," said Narain. Similarly, the party is also in the process of appointing ward coordinators and assembly segment coordinators in the run-up to the polls.
Earlier, only the young and the restless were keen on AAP. However, the dramatic outcome of the Delhi assembly elections transformed the atmosphere, explained Iftikar Hussain, district executive committee member for AAP's Lucknow unit. "People from all walks of life and economic strata are joining us. It is as if they were waiting for the Delhi results to see AAP's performance." said Hussain. source>:TOI
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