Around a year before the Lok Sabha elections, after which comes the Assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party has queered the pitch for election season in Haryana by declaring its intent to contest from all the parliamentary and Assembly constituencies in the state.
AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal chose Kurukshetra, which is known as the battleground of the epic fight between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, to sound the poll bugle as he counselled party volunteers on Sunday on the issues which they should be highlighting in their outreach to the electorate in the state.
Haryana has 10 parliamentary seats and 90 Assembly constituencies. AAP leaders feel that the party can make an impact in the state for a number of reasons.
The party believes that the proximity of Haryana to the national capital can be of help in talking to the people in the neighbouring state about the work done by the AAP government in Delhi, especially in the areas of education and health.
“The transformation of government schools in Delhi and the difference in basic healthcare that has been brought about through Mohalla clinics are two things that the people of Haryana can relate to because these changes are not happening very far from where they live,” said an AAP leader.
Kejriwal, who belongs to Haryana, is expected to play the 'son of the soil' card. The Delhi chief minister has been a frequent visitor to Haryana in recent months. In April this year, he held a roadshow in the Rohtak-Bhiwani region. He also addressed a rally in Hisar, where he attacked the established political parties for dividing the people of Haryana on the lines of religion and caste but not doing enough in terms of development work.
In his speeches, Kejriwal has emphasised the need to build a new Haryana, which is based on a new form of politics that is a departure from the kind of politics practised by traditional parties such as the Congress, INLD or the BJP.
If Kejriwal went to the state with the 'Haryana Bachao' slogan earlier, 'Haryana Jodo' is the new theme of AAP's campaign.
Kejriwal had earlier indicated the importance that he placed on Haryana by naming trusted aide Naveen Jaihind as in-charge of party affairs in the state.
The nomination of businessman Sushil Gupta to the Rajya Sabha by the AAP earlier this year had raised eyebrows. However, it has to be seen in the context of the party's plans to make inroads into Haryana. Gupta runs hospitals and educational institutions in Delhi and Haryana, and it is believed that he would prove to be useful in helping the AAP spread its wings to the neighbouring state.