AAP’s next stop: BBMP, 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls

March 11, 2022

Emboldened after its convincing victory in Punjab, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is working to make a mark in the upcoming Bengaluru civic polls and the 2023 Karnataka assembly showdown.
“We got the fillip that we needed. Our prospects look very bright,” AAP Karnataka convener Prithvi Reddy told DH.
Reddy said AAP expects some “big joinings” over the next 4-6 weeks in the run-up to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections that are likely to be held in a couple of months. The polls will be held for 243 municipal wards. “AAP will fight in all of them,” Reddy said.
For the 2023 Assembly elections, Reddy said his party is inviting like-minded individuals – people from other parties, activists and so on. “In the next three months we will be able to identify candidates in all constituencies,” he said.
During its formative years, AAP counter Bengaluru as one of the major cities with a significant support base, especially youngsters. It contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, but none of the candidates gave a tough fight. AAP did not contest the 2015 BBMP polls as it was not ready.

AAP tried its luck in the 2018 Assembly elections by fielding 29 candidates. All of them, including Reddy, lost badly and their vote share was only 0.06% (around 21,000 votes).
“Karnataka is a very huge state and is largely agricultural. Many agrarian problems are similar to that of Punjab. Our government in Punjab will give a model that we can take to rural areas,” Reddy said. “On the other hand, Delhi where we are in power is comparable with Bengaluru given the urban setting,” he added.