In a development that may upset the apple cart of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, former MLAs of Panthers Party — Balwant Singh Mankotia and Yash Paul Kundal, and over 700 sarpanches, panches, block development council (BDC) chairmen and district development council (DDC) members joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in New Delhi on Friday
In a development that may upset the apple cart of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, former MLAs of Panthers Party — Balwant Singh Mankotia and Yash Paul Kundal, and over 700 sarpanches, panches, block development council (BDC) chairmen and district development council (DDC) members joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in New Delhi on Friday, propelling its political ambitions in the region. Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia welcomed them into the party fold.
Mankotia said, “Former NC leader from Suchetgarh Taranjit Singh Tony and former Congress leader Surinder Singh Shingari also joined AAP in New Delhi.”
He added that cabinet ministers of the Delhi government Gopal Rai and Imran Hussain, besides J&K in charge of AAP Durgesh Pathak were present on the occasion. “The 700 who joined AAP included 200 sarpanches, 100 BDC and DDC members, and 20 councilors. We were already in deliberations with the AAP high command and were to join the party during the Navratris,” he informed.
When asked whether he will be the AAP president in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, “The AAP leadership has assured me to give a leading role and major responsibility in J&K. The party will dissolve existing committees and will form new ones.”
It may be stated here that Panthers Party chairman and former education minister Harsh Dev Singh had met Sisodia in New Delhi on Wednesday fuelling speculations that he may also join the AAP bandwagon
The UT is likely to go to maiden assembly elections following revocation of special status on August 5, 2019, and bifurcation of the then state into two UTs of J&K and Ladakh. The delimitation panel has to complete its exercise of redrawing assembly and Lok Sabha boundaries by May 6.
Following AAP’s landslide victory in Punjab, it has started making inroads in J&K.
Amid simmering discontent against the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit, Aam Admi Party (AAP), bolstered by its landslide victory in the Punjab assembly elections, has been making rapid strides forward in Jammu and Kashmir and started to emerge as another viable option.
Political pundits feel that though “Modi magic” may get the BJP through, AAP may also throw up some surprises and upset “pre-conceived” political equations in Jammu and Kashmir. They feel that AAP may spoil the prospects of many “heavyweights” and an “over-confident” BJP.
Once the elections were announced by the Election Commission, AAP decided to field its candidates for all 90 seats.
