Ahmedabad: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann on Sunday concluded their two-day Gujarat visit. The two chief ministers flying all the way down to Gujarat and reviewing the party's position and setting up the goals for assembly elections scheduled later this year is a resounding message about how seriously the Aam Aadmi Party is pursuing the western state.
AAP's confidence to prepare the ground in Gujarat is further bolstered by a weak Congress. Both Kejriwal and Mann, on Sunday, held closed-door meetings with several people associated with political, social, and religious organisations including some Congress leaders.
Earlier in the day, the two leaders offered prayers at the Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad and later held meetings with local leaders of the AAP before concluding their two-day visit to the city. Notably, Kejriwal, who is AAP's national convener, and Mann had paid obeisance at a temple in Nikol area of the city on Saturday and held a roadshow, virtually launching the campaign for the Assembly elections in BJP-ruled Gujarat, due in December this year.
On Sunday, the two AAP leaders started their day by visiting the Swaminarayan temple in Shahibaug locality, where they offered prayers with state party leaders Gopal Italia and Isudan Gadhvi by their side. Later in the day, they met the party's top leaders in the state, members of core committee, and frontal organisations, where they discussed the AAP's state-level organisation and current political situation, a party spokesperson said.
They also held indoor meetings with the people associated with different political and social organisations as well as talented people from different walks of life, he said. Among those who met the two chief ministers included some Congress leaders, he said. Kejriwal and Mann left for Delhi in the evening. On Saturday, the duo had started their Ahmedabad tour by visiting the Sabarmati Ashram and offering tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
Later in the day, they held a roadshow in the city's Nikol and Bapunagar locality with a large turnout of party members and supporters. With Congress in disarray, the AAP, which currently rules Delhi and Punjab, is looking to present an alternative to the voters in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the BJP has been ruling since 1995.
