AAP to contest UP Assembly polls 2022: Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind kejriwal

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will contest Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in 2022, party convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on December 15.

Kejriwal appealed to people of Uttar Pradesh to give AAP a chance while promising to replicate Delhi model of governance in the state currently ruled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“In the eight years since AAP came to being, we have formed government in Delhi three times and are a principal opposition in Punjab. Today, I want to announce that we have decided to contest Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in 2022,” Kejriwal said addressing a virtual press briefing.

Kejriwal said all political parties who have formed governments in UP, so far have not benefited people. “So many people from UP come to me. Many of them who now live in Delhi have told me that they are fed up with parties that have ruled UP,” Kejriwal said vowing to provide an alternative to UP in the next assembly elections.

The Delhi CM further said the development of Uttar Pradesh has been held back by "dirty politics" and "corrupt leaders" there.

“If we can have a Mohalla clinic in Delhi’s Sangam Vihar why cannot we have one on Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar. Why can’t UP have health facilities like people in Delhi have?” Kejriwal asked.

AAP had earlier contested Lok Sabha polls in UP with Arvind Kejriwal testing waters against the then PM candidates Narendra Modi from Varanasi in 2014 general elections. Kejriwal finished second and bagged over 2 lakh votes.

In 2017, AAP won 44 seats in UP local body polls emerging as fifth largest party. A few days ago, AAP  said that it will contest on all seats in the Uttar Pradesh panchayat elections due early next year.

The announcement about Uttar Pradesh assembly polls by Kejriwal came hours after he hailed his party's maiden win in Goa Zilla Panchayat elections, which marked the first electoral history of the party in the coastal state.

The ruling BJP in Goa has made big gains in the Zilla Panchayat elections, winning 32 out of 49 seats on offer, while the opposition Congress performed poorly, bagging just four seats.