Taking a united stand against the ruling BJP, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal is expected to campaign for Opposition-backed INDIA bloc partners in the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections.
According to sources, the former Delhi chief minister is likely to campaign on those assembly seats where his party has a volunteer base and where Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidates do not have a controversial background.
They said Kejriwal will particularly campaign for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners — the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP — in Maharashtra.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a constituent of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), which was formed before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
An AAP spokesman said the Shiv Sena-UBT and NCP-SP had approached Kejriwal to campaign for their respective party candidates in the crucial Maharashtra Assembly polls.
“Arvind Kejriwal will campaign on the seats where his appeal would definitely translate into votes for INDIA Bloc, especially on urban seats,” he said.
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate earlier this year in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court last month.
After coming out, in a surprising move, the AAP patron announced his resignation from the chief minister’s post, and said he would take up the position when people hand him a victory in the Delhi Assembly polls slated earlier next year.
The Maharashtra assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies set for November 23.
In the state, the electoral battle is drawn between Mahayuti – comprising the BJP, Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) — and the MVA — comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar).
The Assembly elections in Jharkhand will be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.
In Jharkhand, the BJP is contesting in alliance with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal (United) (JD-U), and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the Congress are the INDIA bloc partners on the other side.