AAP revamps Haryana unit, RS MP Sushil Kr Gupta to be state chief

NEW DELHI: In a bid to tie up the loose ends and as part of measures to strengthen the organisation on the ground, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday revamped its Haryana unit, appointing Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Gupta as its president and Ashok Tanwar, former state Congress chief who joined the party after a brief association with TMC, as the campaign committee chairman.
According to sources in the party, learnings from the state elections so far have only reinforced the need to focus on building an organisation on the ground ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year. Haryana is seen as critical area of focus given that it shares boundaries with two AAP-led states of Delhi and Punjab. The state assembly polls here are due next year. Over the past few months the AAP also revamped the state units of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh - all three go to polls later this year and outcomes here will play a critical role in positioning the AAP in the larger political discourse in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
Meanwhile, sources said the June rally on Delhi’s Ramlila ground, planned as a mobilisation effort against the ordinance related to services brought in by the central government, is being seen within the party as giving direction to its outreach and help evolve its narrative on issues in the months ahead in preparation for the Lok Sabha polls.
According to a notification issued by AAP national organisation secretary Sandeep Pathak on Thursday besides the announcements about Haryana’s state unit president and campaign committee chairman, journalist-turned-politician Anurag Dhanda has been named as senior state vice-president and Balbir Singh Saini as state vice-president. Saini, former Haryana minister and INLD leader, had joined the AAP in March last year. Banta Singh Valmiki and Chitra Sarwara have also been appointed as state vice-presidents. Chowdhary Nirmal Singh has been appointed as AAP's national joint secretary. The AAP also declared the list of office bearers from state to district level.
Newly appointed Haryana unit president Sushil Gupta said that the appointments announced on Thursday will help boost the on-ground outreach. “We see a lot of potential in Haryana as the state shares boundaries with Delhi and Punjab and people are aware of the work being done in both the places. Our party’s officer bearers from state level down to the grassroots will be reaching out to people on issues like education, health, unemployment and empowerment and equal opportunities for women,” Gupta said.