New Delhi:
Buoyed by its spectacular victory in Delhi Assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party is now planning to make itself a significant political force in at least four major states in the next five years without entering into any “arrangements of convenience” with any regional party.
Senior party strategist and ideologue Yogendra Yadav said in the long term, AAP wants to emerge as a principled force in national politics and the party was working on mid-term and long-term goals in this regard.
“We are not a regional party. In the long term we want to be a national alternative. That is why we chose Delhi consciously. We want to emerge as a principled force in national politics. In next 3-5 years, we want to become viable in more states than Delhi and Punjab,” Yadav told PTI.
Terming coalitions like the Third Front as “arrangements of convenience”, he said AAP will not join any such groupings. He also ruled out having any understanding with parties like Trinamool Congress and JD(U) which had extended support to AAP in the Delhi polls.
“They have not sought political support and even we did not extend political support to them. It was merely a gesture on their part based on their own strengths and weaknesses. What they do not realise that we are anti-political establishment,” he said.
A noted political scientist, Yadav said the AAP’s target was to capture more than 20 per cent vote-share in each of the states where the party wants to become a viable alternative as part of its medium-term expansion drive.
He refused to name the states where AAP wants to spread wings when asked but said their selection will depend on space for potential opportunity and organisational strength.
On whether AAP would contest the Bihar assembly elections later this year and polls in West Bengal next year, he did not give a direct answer.
Punjab, where AAP had won four seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, will be a major focus area with the party deciding to fight the 2017 assembly polls in the state with full vigour.
