The AAP, which is assumed to be on an upswing in Punjab, has already announced candidates for 32 seats out of a total of 117 as part of its strategy to take a lead over its rivals in campaigning. But this move has only served to reveal fissures within the party. When AAP announced its first list of 19 candidates, the party’s convenor, Sucha Singh Chottepur, expressed his reservations about it.
What started as muted resentment over ticket distribution has now taken a new turn as a video surfaced, showing a person giving him cash.
An AAP volunteer, who shot the video, claimed that Mr Chottepur was demanding money for various purposes. It is now being speculated that Mr Chottepur, who has hotly denied any involvement in corruption, may be expelled from the party.
The party has been facing revolts at several places against the choice of candidates, with H.S. Kingra, who was the AAP spokesman in the past, resigning after levelling serious allegations against the party leadership, particularly against organisational secretary Durgesh Pathak. Amidst all the heartburn over selection of candidates, there is a general feeling amongst political observers that the AAP is also treading the same path that the bigger, more mainstream parties took. There are reports that some of the people who were denied tickets have arrived in Delhi to lobby for tickets.
The AAP is supposed to release its next list of candidates soon. But the party, known for its grassroots-level work, is busy dealing with controversies.
