Guwahati, Oct 16: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders from five northeastern states – Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh – called on Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday and held deliberations on the party’s organisational setup and the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the northeastern states.
During the meeting with Kejriwal and national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak, the AAP leaders assessed the potential and readiness of the party’s organisational base in the five states.
The AAP leaders from the region comprised state party presidents Yamra Taya from Arunachal Pradesh, Bhaben Choudhury from Assam, Andrew Lalremkima Pachuau from Mizoram, Asu Keyho from Nagaland, and co-incharge Abujam Umapada Luwang from Tripura.
During the meeting, the party leaders provided insights into the current political scenario in their respective states.
Rajesh Sharma, the party-in-charge for the Northeastern states, informed about the party’s decision to expand its organisational set-up in the Northeast and contest elections in the region, for which a coordination committee and a North-East cell would be formed.
“AAP has decided to participate in the active politics of Northeastern states. AAP will not only expand its organisation in these states but also participate in elections, beginning with the Mizoram Assembly elections in November,” Sharma said on Monday.
“The details of the number of seats to be contested and the constituencies will be provided by the state committee, and an announcement regarding the same will be made soon,” he said.
Sharma further mentioned that the people in the Northeast are grappling with various issues, including education, healthcare, inflation, and unemployment, and they believe that the AAP could provide solutions to these problems. “With their aspirations in mind, the party has taken such a decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, state media coordinator, AAP Assam, Jayanta Kumar Kalita informed here on Monday that the party leaders from the region also submitted a proposal to the Delhi chief minister to set up a Northeast cultural department in order to promote and showcase the culture and heritage of the region.
“AAP will contest all the forthcoming elections in the region. Our party president also held deliberations on the seats where AAP would be contesting in Assam in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. During the meeting, the national convenor directed the state party presidents to take measures to strengthen the organisational base of the party in the Northeast ahead of the ensuing elections,” Kalita said in a statement issued here.
The AAP national convenor, it may be noted, also directed the northeastern state presidents to constitute a Northeast coordination committee ahead of the Assembly polls in Mizoram (November 2023) and Arunachal Pradesh (May 2024), the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 and panchayat elections in Assam.