The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided to to go national and contest elections in other states, which is now being seen as a sign of rapprochement within the Aam Aadmi Party.
The party’s expansion was strongly advocated by founder member Yogendra Yadav and was said to be one of the reasons for the friction with party chief Arvind Kejriwal, which led to Mr Yadav and another senior leader Prashant Bhushan being sacked from a key party panel, the Political Affairs Committee or PAC.
It was at a meeting of the PAC at Mr Kejriwal’s home last night, the first since Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan were removed, that the decision to go national and to enroll active volunteers was taken.
AAP’s Sanjay Singh, a member of the PAC tweeted, “AAP will expand, colleagues will get responsibilities in states, volunteers will have a role in decision-making.”
PAC:देश में संगठन का विस्तार होगा साथियों को राज्यों की जिम्मेदारी मिलेगी,वालंटियर्स को निर्णय लेने की प्रक्रिया में महत्तव दिया जायेगा
— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) March 18, 2015
AAP leaders have in the past stated that the party was determined to contest the next assembly election in Punjab, where it scored a quarter of all votes in the Lok Sabha polls. Of over 400 Lok Sabha seats it contested, the party won only four seats in Punjab.
The AAP is also said to be keen to fight municipal elections in Mumbai and Bengaluru, two cities where it enjoys a wide network of volunteers.
Kejriwal loyalists had a late Monday night meeting with Yadav.