AAP to contest all 68 seats in Himachal Pradesh; promises free water and electricity

Buoyed by the success in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party has now announced the party will contest all the 68 seats in the upcoming Himachal Pradesh (HP) Assembly elections. AAP will also fight the Shimla Municipal elections. Delhi's Health Minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain made the announcement while leading a victory procession in Shimla, HP.

"Before the 2022 Assembly polls, the party will contest Shimla Municipal Corporation. Aam Aadmi Party has the mantra to defeat BJP. The Delhi model will be implemented in Himachal. After Punjab, now it's Himachal Pradesh's turn. We will contest elections all 68 seats in Himachal Pradesh in upcoming Assembly elections," said Jain, as quoted by ANI.

Aam Aadmi Party to contest on 68 seats in HP

When asked about the poll promises, Jain said, if AAP is able to clinch HP, the Government will provide free electricity and water along with education and health facilities. "There should not be anything like free to the public. It is a payback which is given to the public in the form of facilities for the tax which they have paid for," he added.

Himachal Pradesh Aam Aadmi Party president Anup Kesari, talking to PTI on March 10 said, the people of the hill state are tired of the traditional political parties and similar to Punjab, AAP will win HP too. When Kesari was asked about the failure of the party to open an account in Himachal Pradesh in the previous Assembly elections, the AAP leader said that the party has established a base in all the 68 seats in the hill state.

Jain on March 12 concurred, the organization has been established in all the 68 assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh and it will now be further scaled up with the elections approaching.  The BJP, however, rubbished AAP claims. The party's chief spokesperson Randhir Sharma said BJP will retain the hill state on the back of its spectacular electoral performance in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. 

In a major step, the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government in Himachal has widened the bracket for people receiving pensions. Accordingly, the old-age pension limit was lowered from 70 to 60 years in the recent budget, Sharma told PTI. He outrightly dismissed AAP's claim, saying there is no scope for a third party in the state.