AAP shifts focus towards rural Chhattisgarh

Raipur, January 18

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is gradually shifting its focus towards rural Chhattisgarh after receiving massive response from people in urban areas under its ongoing membership drive. The party’s new-member list has gone past over 85,000 in the State. Though AAP bosses have set target of one lakh members for Chhattisgarh till January 26, the party members here think that they will overachieve their target and touch 2-2.50 lakh mark by the given deadline.

The party started its 17-day free membership drive across the country on January 10. Though, politics in Chhattisgarh usually revolves around BJP and Congress and other parties have never been able to create as strong image as the two, AAP can term itself fortunate as its maiden attempt to increase its domain in State by putting stalls in public places of urban areas resulted into a grand success.

Enthused by overwhelming public response in cities, AAP now hopes to make inroads in rural pockets. Initially, its aim is to convince the educated section which is aware of its existence and thinks that it has potential to become real mouthpiece of a common man in Indian politics in coming days.

A confident looking Uchit Sharma, coordinator of AAP’s State core committee, told Metro India that the party would take out awareness rallies in rural belts to draw people’s attention.

“We have already made our presence felt in 22 out of 27 districts of the State. Our aim is to reach to each and every common man of the State so that we could strongly raise their issues,” he said.

Presently, AAP is functioning in three-tier structure in Chhattisgarh - block, district and State levels. “Our committees have been formed in reverse order. First, block core committees came into existence. The members of these panels then elected district core committee members who in turned pick State core committee members,” he said.

The party was functioning under ad hoc committees because its entire focus was to expand in the country in last one year or so and establish itself trustworthy alternative in Delhi during recent assembly polls.

“In coming days, we will have four-tier system in the State – village panchayat, block, district and State levels,” Sharma said.