AAP to Contest Mumbai’s BMC Polls, Rules Out Alliances

“AAP is not considering any alliance with any party for the upcoming BMC polls,” says AAP leader Sanjay Singh.

The BMC head office (Left) Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal (Right)

(Photo altered by The Quint)

After their victory in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi party is eyeing India’s richest Municipal Corporation – the BMC.

Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, speaking to news agency ANI, ruled out the prospect of any alliance for the BMC polls that’s likely to take place in 2022.

“As far as I know, the Municipal Corporation elections are fought alone, which is also a better option. So, the AAP is not considering any alliance with any party for the upcoming BMC polls.” 

Sanjay Singh, Rajya Sabha MP and AAP leader 

Speaking to The Quint earlier this month, AAP spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon had said that the party was planning to contest all local elections that are scheduled to take place in Maharashtra in the near future, starting with the Navi Mumbai civic body elections.

“We’ve been at the forefront of the anti-corruption fight over here in Maharashtra but we were not politically active. Now, we think that we will make a small start by fighting local elections. Perhaps not all, but in areas where we’re stronger. Immediately forthcoming is the Navi Mumbai Municipal election, where we hope to field, I think, nearly all candidates.”

Preeti Sharma Menon, Spokesperson, AAP  

Chalking out the party’s strategy for the state, Menon pointed out that the party is more likely to opt for leaders from diverse backgrounds to ensure that different sections of voters are represented.

“Maharashtra has two conveners. We have Ranga Rachure, who is a former leader, a convener from Marathwada, and we have Kishore Mandhyan, an ex-United Nations diplomat, who is a co-convener from Mumbai. So, I think we will cater to different people by giving them, representative leaders,” said Preeti Sharma Menon.

In 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, AAP has lost all the 24 seats they had contested from.