The Aam Aadmi Party will have to contend with former members-turned-political rivals in the coming municipal elections in Delhi as Swaraj India, launched by Arvind Kejriwal's former colleagues Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, on Saturday announced its intentions to contest the local polls in the capital.
As a precursor to taking the electoral plunge, Swaraj India will run a month-long Jawaab Do, Hisaab Do campaign in Delhi starting on Sunday, as part of which it will establish one-to-one contact with ten lakh households in the capital.
This campaign will culminate in a rally at the Ramlila Maidan on February 12, where Yadav will sound the municipal election bugle.
“The month-long campaign hopes to bring to the fore the true picture of the health of Delhi's basic municipal facilities. It will be a real reflection of the state of affairs in Delhi,” the psephologist-turned-politician said.
Yadav and Bhushan were expelled from the AAP in March, 2015 after they had serious differences with Kejriwal. A few months earlier, they announced a campaign called Swaraj Abhiyan to take up people's issues, and more recently they formed a party called Swaraj India.
Since then, there had been speculation on the new party contesting the municipal elections in Delhi due later this year.
At the press conference, Yadav also released the results of a public survey done by Swaraj India on the performance of the Delhi government and the three MCDs in the capital. As per the survey results, around 60 per cent of the people surveyed said they were unhappy with the performance of the Kejriwal government. As many as 36 per cent felt that the Delhi government was using the Lt Governor as an excuse for its inaction.
Also, as per the survey, 62 per cent of the people were not satisfied with the central government. As many as 55 per cent were dissatisfied with the performance of the three municipal corporations in Delhi.
“Delhi has three levels of government—the Centre, the state and the municipal body. But it is a pity that all the three have abandoned the national capital. None of these governments is genuinely concerned to solve the real problems of the common people,” said Swaraj India spokesman Anupam.
He said the slogan Teen Sarkar, Teeno Bekaar was apt for Delhi, indicating what will be the agenda of the party as it enters the fray in the municipal elections.
