AAP to independently contest all 90 Haryana Assembly seats

Months before the Haryana Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced on Thursday that it would contest all 90 seats in the Assembly independently. "The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to contest the elections in Haryana with full strength," AAP leader and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said.

Haryana is expected to go to polls in October 2024, and the AAP's decision to go solo is anticipated to impact the performance of the Congress, the main Opposition party in the state, according to political analysts.

It is worth noting that in the 2019 Assembly elections, the AAP contested 46 of the 90 seats but failed to win a single seat, and secured less than one per cent of the votes.

In the recently held Lok Sabha elections, the Congress won five of the state's 10 seats, with the BJP winning the other five. The Congress, which has seen a resurgence in the state, is viewed as the primary challenger to the BJP in a state that has witnessed protests against the Agniveer (Agnipath) scheme.

Accompanying Mann, party leader Sanjay Singh criticised the scheme, calling it a betrayal of the country and demanding its withdrawal. Party national secretary Sandeep Pathak added that public dialogue for change was conducted by visiting approximately 6,500 villages, and the call for change is widespread.

He announced that party chief and incarcerated Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s guarantee for Haryana would be launched on 20 July. "Just as we fought the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha elections with full force, we will approach the Haryana Assembly elections with the same determination," he added.

During visits to Rohtak, Sonipat, and Jind in Haryana, Mann reported that people expressed a desire for a change in governmental. "Haryana has given chances to the Congress, the BJP, and regional parties, but all have failed the state," he said.

Mann also unveiled the party’s slogan for the elections: "Badlenge Haryana ka haal, ab layenge Kejriwal (we will change Haryana’s situation and bring in Kejriwal)".

"People from across the country appreciate us. Kejriwal, being from Haryana, makes the people of Haryana proud. He went to Delhi, contested elections, and transformed the country’s politics," he said.

"We have governments in Delhi and Punjab. Half of Haryana borders Punjab and the other half borders Delhi. People want us to contest the election. The state has tried all parties, but none were loyal to Haryana. They all exploited the state, and now the people want change,” Mann added.

"The culture of Haryana is similar to that of Delhi and Punjab. Some people are aware of the work done in Delhi, others in Punjab, and they want these changes in Haryana too. We have demonstrated that our team is competent and capable of working together effectively,” he said.