Out of poll race, AAP plans to expose corrupt candidates

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) may not be fighting the upcoming Assembly elections, but it still plans to be part of the electoral process. The party will act as a watchdog and plans to expose corrupt candidates as well as run a campaign against electoral malpractices.

The citizen-centric campaign will be called ‘Jagrut Nagrik’.

According to Priti Sharma Menon, AAP spokesperson, the whole initiative is to encourage participatory democracy. “We will publish pamphlets and hold meetings and street plays exposing corrupt candidates and encourage citizens to vote for clean candidates,” said Menon. AAP will also start a drive against the menace of black money, alcohol and other bribes paid to lure the voters. “Our helpline will guide people to fight these corrupt practices and we will take to the streets to protest against this menace,” she added.

The party plans to team up with citizens to prepare a ‘Citizens Charter’ and will demand that the candidates pledge to implement them after winning the election.

After its disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where the party lost deposits in 47 of the 48 constituencies it contested from, the AAP central wing decided against contesting the state Assembly polls. The AAP also directed its workers not to support or campaign for anyone, but to undertake a voter-centric drive. “There may be good candidates, but we don’t have the means to evaluate them and hence have decided to be neutral and educate the people to elect clean candidates,” said Menon.