Home Articles AAP’s next stop: BBMP, 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls
KEY STORY
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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.
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“We got the fillip that we needed. Our prospects look very bright,” AAP Karnataka convener Prithvi Reddy told DH.
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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.
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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.
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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.
CONCLUSION
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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).
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“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.