NEW DELHI, March 21: The AAP on Friday announced a major organisational reshuffle, naming former minister Saurabh Bharadwaj as president of its Delhi unit and senior leader Manish Sisodia as its in-charge for Punjab, over a month after losing the Assembly polls in its home turf, Delhi.
While Bharadwaj replaces Gopal Rai, Sisodia takes charge of Punjab, the only state in the country where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is currently in power.
The decisions were made during a meeting of the AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) at the residence of party supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal, in a post on X, congratulated the party leaders on being given the new responsibilities.
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AAP General Secretary (Organisation) Sandeep Pathak, after the PAC meeting, said Gopal Rai would now be in charge of Gujarat, where the party is aiming to expand its base.
Pathak, a Rajya Sabha MP, has been named in charge of the AAP’s Chhattisgarh unit, while Pankaj Gupta will lead the party’s Goa chapter. Punjab, Gujarat and Goa will hold Assembly elections in two years.
Mehraj Malik has been named the new chief of the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit. The party has also appointed co-in-charges for the state units, including Satyendar Jain for Punjab, Durgesh Pathak for Gujarat, and Ankush Narang, Abhash Chandela, and Deepak Singhla for Goa.
Bharadwaj said that in the Delhi Assembly polls, AAP received around 43.5 percent of the votes, which was just two percent less than that of the BJP.
“Even in these circumstances, half of Delhi voted for AAP,” he told reporters. “We have to take care of them as well as those who voted for the BJP and strengthen the party.”
The new AAP chief for the Delhi unit said that organisation building is easier after a defeat because many people join the party at the time of victory, but those who stick together even in defeat are pure gold. “We will strengthen the party and expand the organisation,” he said.
Sisodia, in a post on X, thanked Kejriwal and the party leadership for giving him the responsibility to work as in-charge of Punjab.
“My endeavor will be that all AAP leaders, workers, and the government, under the leadership of @BhagwantMann ji, together fulfill the expectations of the people of Punjab and live up to their trust,” he said.
The former Deputy Chief Minister in the AAP government in Delhi mentioned that the affection of the people in Punjab is his inspiration. “The results of the AAP government’s work in Punjab are visible now, and it’s time to give rocket speed to this change,” he added. (PTI)
