Aam Aadmi Party will fight Uttar Pradesh elections in 2022, says Arvind Kejriwal
Aam Aadmi Party will fight Uttar Pradesh elections in 2022, party chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday. This will be the first time for the AAP when it will contest elections in Uttar Pradesh. In 2017, AAP had stayed away from the state’s electoral politics. "AAP will contest in the next Assembly polls in UP. People from UP asking us to provide the same facilities and governance as Delhi," said Kejriwal in a press briefing.
“Why do people from districts across Uttar Pradesh have to come to Delhi for healthcare, education and basis amenities? Why can’t they avail that in their own state?” said Kejriwal as he made the announcement.
Kejriwal also said that all parties in Uttar Pradesh have betrayed the people as “each governent crossed the other one in terms of corruption”. “UP politics lacks good intent, which the AAP can bring in."
Earlier, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that his party will form the alliance with smaller parties in the upcoming Assembly polls. Speaking to media when asked about the party's alliance in the upcoming Assembly election in the state to stop the BJP, Yadav said, "Samajwadi Party will forge an alliance with smaller parties. Our experience has not been good with big parties."
The former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh said, "We are hopeful that in 2022 Samajwadi party will form the government in the state with the majority."
BJP had stormed back to power in the state in the 2017 Assembly polls. In the 403 member UP Assembly, among the major parties, BJP has 309 legislators, SP 49, BSP 18, and Congress 7.
Previously, the AAP which has a strong base in Delhi, contested elections in Punjab, Goa, Gujarat in 2017; Meghalaya, Nagaland, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan in 2018; Odisha, Telangana, Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand in 2019. The AAP had also contested 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Barring Delhi and Punjab, the AAP has no representation in the other states. The AAP is the principal opposition party in Punjab.
