AAP to challenge for all 36 Mumbai seats in Maharashtra Assembly elections

Mumbai:

The Aam Aadmi Party plans to participate in the Maharashtra assembly elections and nominate candidates for all 36 seats in Mumbai, as stated by its leader Preeti Sharma Menon on Monday.

During a press briefing in this city, she also mentioned that the AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, was a part of the opposition INDI alliance, stating that “the alliance was formed for the Lok Sabha elections and will continue to work together at the national level”.

“The AAP intends to compete for all 36 seats in Mumbai. In other parts of Maharashtra, our team members and volunteers are motivated and preparations are in progress,” Ms. Menon mentioned.

The AAP is a nationwide party that, under the insightful guidance of Arvind Kejriwal, evolved from a citizens’ movement and currently holds power in Delhi and Punjab, with representatives in Goa and Gujarat as well as members of parliament, she emphasized.

In a mere decade, the AAP has showcased the “Delhi model” of progress, offering free quality education, healthcare, water, and electricity to all without corruption or debt, she explained.

“The success in Delhi and Punjab is attributed to the clean politics and fresh political approach of the Aam Aadmi Party. The current BJP-Shinde Sena administration lacks the determination to serve the public and is engrossed in extensive corruption, convinced that they will not retain power,” she alleged.

The BJP is depicted as an opposing force to Maharashtra and Mumbai, while the Eknath Shinde administration is accused of neglecting public welfare and engaging in financial malpractice, she contended.

“The Shinde government has not only violated the Constitution but also failed on all fronts. Unemployment and inflation have severely impacted the common citizens. Despite ongoing farmer suicides and agrarian distress, Maharashtra, once a leading state in industrialization, has fallen behind in terms of GDP. Public funds are being misused as collateral for private cooperatives,” she asserted.

She further claimed that socially disadvantaged groups and marginalized communities are facing increased violence and bias, with the state government showing apathy towards the issue of Maratha reservation despite protests led by activist Manoj Jarange.

“None of the 27 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the BMC in Mumbai, have public representation. Mumbai’s infrastructure is deteriorating, housing issues persist, and slums are becoming uninhabitable. The city has been overrun by builder and contractor mafias,” she alleged.

In a critique against the BJP, she mentioned, “The BJP is threatened by Mumbai’s status as India’s largest and most diverse city, which also serves as the nation’s financial hub. There is a deliberate effort by the BJP to divert projects intended for Mumbai to Gujarat, in an attempt to undermine Mumbai.” She accused Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis of prioritizing Gujarat’s interests over Maharashtra’s.

Maharashtra and its residents deserve better, and the AAP not only offers an alternative but also presents a solution, stated the party’s working president Ruben Mascarenhas.