Fresh out of the success of Punjab Assembly elections and armed with the newly-acquired “national party” status, the fledgling political party has decided to fight 5 of the 9 Assembly elections this year. The party has directed its five state units to initiate the process of building the organisation. Speaking to ET, AAP national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak said, “AAP will contest all seats in the five states. The party has started the process of building its organisation at the village level. Once we have our volunteer base, we will start identifying local issues affecting the people.” The party will form village-level committees and collate a database of volunteers at the village, block and district levels. “Volunteers are the power of AAP,” said Pathak.
Apart from its welfarism poll plank of providing free electricity, water, education and healthcare, AAP has decided to identify specific issues in every Assembly segment and run a micro-level campaign in the five states. “We are not shying away from the fact that we are promising freebies. But freebies are the basis of welfarism. We believe in free education, healthcare, honest governance and check in price rise. Free education and healthcare is not revdi but a welfare mechanism to providing equal opportunities. AAP believes in it and will take it to the people in the five states,” said Pathak.