AAP eyes Bengal Panchayat elections in 2023

After a resounding victory in Punjab polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is now eying West Bengal Panchayat polls scheduled to be held next year. The AAP on Monday announced that it would contest the 2023 Panchayat elections in West Bengal and has already begun campaigning for the same.

“Aam Aadmi Party will contest the 2023 Panchayat elections in West Bengal. On the instructions of the party high command, the local unit has already started its campaign. AAP held a rally in Kolkata on 13 March,” said Sanjoy Basu, Incharge, AAP, West Bengal. Meanwhile, reacting to AAP entering Bengal politics, BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, “We have seen AAP when they had come to Bengal. That time, they could not gather workers and they went away. It’s a democratic country. People have the right to contest elections from anywhere they want but it’s useless as they are uncountable in Bengal. What happened to Mamata Banerjee in Goa? Her competitors were Independent candidates. In Bengal, it will be the same for AAP.”

Through an official release on Monday, West Bengal’s AAP said, “On 13 March, Aam Aadmi Party, Woman’s Wing held a state conclave at Kolkata. It has been resolved in that meet that a state-level Steering Committee of Aap Mahila Shakti will be formed to strengthen the wing further up to block level in next six months.”

The release further said that the Central Observers from Delhi has chosen five people who will coordinate with all other office bearers of the Party in every district of West Bengal. For AAP, Deity Das will coordinate from North 24 Parganas, Soma Bhadra from Kolkata, Subhra Banerjee from Howrah, Tanuka Santra from Hoogly and Gargee Bose from South 24 Parganas.

AAP’s contesting in Panchayat polls will put Arvind Kejriwal’s party directly in the path of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.