The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced it will not participate in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. Instead, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will lend his support to candidates from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, AAP leader Sanjay Singh confirmed on Saturday. The MVA coalition includes Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP, and the Congress.
महाराष्ट्र चुनाव में पार्टी के राष्ट्रीय संयोजक @ArvindKejriwal जी MVA प्रत्याशियों के लिए प्रचार करेंगे।@AamAadmiParty महाराष्ट्र में चुनाव नहीं लड़ेगी।
---Advertisement---— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) October 26, 2024
Kejriwal’s Role in Maharashtra Campaign
Sanjay Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, shared on X that Kejriwal’s involvement with the MVA reflects AAP’s strategy to strengthen the INDIA bloc alliance against the BJP in Maharashtra. AAP sources mentioned that both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP-SP had reached out to Kejriwal, requesting his participation in the Maharashtra campaign.
Expanding Support in Jharkhand
Kejriwal is also set to campaign for Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in the Jharkhand assembly elections, further extending AAP’s support within the INDIA alliance.
Upcoming Poll Schedule
In Maharashtra, all 288 assembly seats will be contested on November 20. Jharkhand will vote in two phases on November 13 and 20, with results for both states expected on November 23.
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AAP’s Alliance Strategy
AAP’s alliance with the Congress and other INDIA bloc members has seen variation by state. While the party aligned with the Congress in Delhi, Gujarat, and Haryana for the Lok Sabha polls, it contested independently in Punjab and Haryana. This time, AAP will back the Congress-led MVA in Maharashtra and the JMM-led coalition in Jharkhand, highlighting AAP’s flexible approach to supporting regional alliances as part of the INDIA bloc.
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