Assembly Elections 2023: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that his party is ready to contest the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan with full strength. Kejriwal also claimed that the name of the candidates for polls in respective states will be declared soon.
"We are prepared to contest the elections"
Asked about the AAP's preparation for the polls, Kejriwal said, "We are prepared to contest the elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh with full strength."
When asked whether his party will contest the elections as part of the INDIA bloc, he said that "whatever happens will be apprised". Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are currently ruled by the Congress, which like the AAP is a partner in the opposition INDIA alliance.
Schedule for upcoming assembly polls
Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram will go to the assembly polls between November 7 and 30. According to the Election Commission, the counting of votes will be on December 3. The upcoming assembly polls in key five states are setting the stage for what is being seen as the semi-final between the BJP and opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Announcing the election schedule at a press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said single-phase assembly polls will be held in Madhya Pradesh on November 17, Rajasthan on November 23, Telangana on November 30 and Mizoram on November 7 while Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in two phases on November 7 (20 seats) and 17 (70 seats).
The high-stakes polls will be a litmus test for the Congress, the biggest party in the fledgling INDIA bloc which is in power in two of the four big states, while a lot is riding for the BJP as well, as the results are bound to have a major bearing on the discourse in the run-up to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reelection bid next year.
(with inputs from PTI)
