NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will launch its second phase of campaigning for the upcoming general election on April 10 with an aim to reach out to 35 lakh people, including the working-class population, and tell them about the importance of full statehood to Delhi.
Delhi minister and senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said the booth-level workers of the party would go to people, instead of calling them to jan sabhas. "In the first phase, we held jan sabhas with people, now we will go to the people, including the working class, and tell them about the importance of full statehood," he said.
Rai added that the campaigning would be held in three phases and the second phase would start from April 10. "We will be engaging 13,814 booth heads and train them over the next two days to convey the message of the importance of full statehood to the people," he said.
The AAP leader said the third phase of campaigning would be launched after the candidates file their nominations. Rai claimed that his party's first phase of campaigning had pushed the BJP on the "back foot". "The BJP, which had thought it would have a walkover in Delhi, is now confused about which candidates should be fielded," he said.
Meanwhile, he also said if the Congress is confident of winning in Punjab without an alliance, his party is also capable of winning all the seats in Delhi on its own. Questioning Congress leader Randeep Surjewala's statement where he said his party was not in talks with the AAP or any other party for an alliance in Haryana and Punjab, Rai asked whether the Congress has forgotten about its loss in the bypolls in Jind.
"I do not understand why Congress is so self-obsessed. It appears that it is in a state of maha-confusion," he said.
Rai said AAP took the decision of contesting on 35 seats in different states, keeping in mind that "it can contribute in defeating the BJP. You can win in Punjab but what about Haryana. The Congress is ready to lose but not form an alliance in Haryana," he said.
"Even people in Haryana are saying that if JJP-AAP and Congress stand together then BJP cannot win and can lose all 10 seats," he added.