Aam Aadmi Party On Its Mission For An Advance Outreach In The Hills Of Himachal

By D N Singh

‘Nothing succeeds like success’ and the saying seems going closer to the Aam Aadmi Party.

Much before than others, even before the ruling party in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party could have its ear to the ground, the AAP supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had pitched a tent in Gujarat few days back.

Not alone that, Kejriwal had given a clarion call to the in-power BJP in Gujarat to hold early elections in the state which was once a political citadel of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi as its chief minister.

Himachal Pradesh obviously appears blinking in his coming list, and on last Saturday, Kejriwal held a meeting in HP’s politically vibrant district, Kangra’s Shahpur, as a match to the BJP president, J P Nadda’s Road show in Kangra as well on Friday last.

Apparently, Aap’s landslide victory in Punjab has come as a political impetus for the Kejriwal followers for an early outreach in HP where the elections are due later this year.

Coming to HP at this time of the hour Kejriwal has, in a way, shown his intentions to spread a pan-India canvass for the future.

According to some political observers in Himachal Pradesh, this is a state which has a good number of citizens who are or once belong to the army service background and they play a key role in motivating public opinion both politically or otherwise.

And people in good number in the state hold them in good esteem like that of bag-pipers and follow to the ballot boxes. And notably most of such people of these hills enjoy an unwavering moral and intolerance towards political lop-sidedness. That is where their role becomes crucial even in politics.

Kejriwal has been trying to match his words to synch with the psyche of such people by saying that, ‘I do not know how to do politics but I know how to build good schools, hospitals and cheap electricity supply”.

Kejriwal keeps unrolling his performance chart in Delhi and its repeat in Punjab with Bhagwat Mann in power there.

It was learnt that, Kejriwal has inched closer to the mind-set of the people in defence service and the retired ones to create the design for his political pitch in HP.

There could, in all likelihood, a sense of fear among both the major political parties such as the BJP and the Congress to advent into the state before Aap could queer the pitch.

The ones in the know of politics in these hills also think that, the ruling dispensation here may go, may, for an early poll much before Aap becomes able to have a firm footing and play an influential role in its support.

Not to lose anything at the ground, the Congress has also started its activities in the HP under the leadership of its State General Secretary Kewal Singh Pathania hitting hard on the BJP for the browbeating price rises in the state and corruptions.

These are factors for the ruling party here to sense the threats beforehand and take the precautions like an early poll, if required, to ward off any electoral debacle.