As AAP takes on BJP in Gujarat and MCD polls, Kejriwal juggles wisely with focus on Modi's home state

The elections to Municipal Corporation of Delhi will be held on December 4 and the results will be declared on December 7. The MCD polls come in between the two phases of Gujarat Assembly elections which will be held on December 1 and 5. 

Both in Delhi and Gujarat, AAP is facing the BJP as the main opponent. While the saffron party has been in power in Gujarat for 27 years now, in Delhi the BJP is leaving nothing to chance in its bid for a fourth straight term at the MCD.   

Being the star campaigner of his 10-year-old party, Arvind Kejriwal has been holding rallies from Ahmedabad to Kutch in the BJP-ruled Gujarat. He has galvanised maximum resources for Gujarat, including manpower. 

His two loyalists -- Gopal Rai and Durgesh Pathak -- have been assigned the responsibility of preparing the blueprint for the MCD polls. Minister Gopal Rai is the state convenor of the party while MLA Durgesh Pathak is the MCD election in-charge.

With Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia likely to remain engaged with campaighing in Gujarat, AAP with its Delhi unit resources is pinning hopes on their ‘door to door’ and ‘Kude Par Jansamvad’ campaigns to take on the BJP.  

Also Read: Why BJP's winning chariot in Gujarat has been unstoppable since 1995? Can AAP hurt its prospects in Modi's home state?

Those sweating it out in Gujarat include AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, who is believed to have played a pivotal role in party’s massive Punjab victory; MP Raghav Chadha, who has a strong following among the youth; and MP Sanjay Singh who is known for his sharp political attacks on the opposition and his connect in the rural areas. 

Another core team, comprising MLAs Saurabh Bhardwaj, Atishi and APMC Chairman Adil Ahmad Khan, has been formed. They would be working directly with Sisodia, reported News18.

The AAP hopes to stop the BJP’s 27-year-long rule in Narendra Modi’s home state, riding on the high anti-incumbency factor and by offering a host of freebies, which led to the discussion on ‘revdi’ politics between the two parties. 

Kejriwal has promised 300 units of free electricity for every household, a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for women, unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000, debt waiver up to Rs 2 lakh for farmers. The party has also promised restoration of the old pension scheme and has tried to “expose” the education model of Gujarat.