AAP will perform poorly in MP polls just as it did in Gujarat last year: Kailash Vijayvargiya

Indore: The Aam Aadmi Party will face a repeat of its Gujarat electoral performance in Madhya Pradesh, where assembly elections are due by the year-end, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has claimed.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, which now governs Delhi and Punjab, has declared that it would contest in all 230 constituencies across MP.

In the run-up to the Gujarat assembly elections last year, the AAP ran a high-decibel campaign but could win only five seats in the 182-member House. The BJP won a record 156 seats.

“Kejriwal had made big promises (to voters) in Gujarat as well, but I think his party lost deposits on 90 per cent of the seats there. (For AAP) there will be a repetition of their Gujarat poll situation in Madhya Pradesh,” Vijayvargiya told reporters late on Monday night.

The BJP leader also hit out at Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh, who recently alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched to create communal riots in MP like Haryana’s Nuh.

Vijayvargiya said no one takes Singh’s words seriously anymore.

He said the state government is fully capable of “crushing” those who try to disturb the communal atmosphere.

Asked about the time frame for the release of the second list of BJP candidates for the upcoming assembly polls in the state, Vijayvargiya in a lighter vein said, “People were clueless when the first list (of BJP candidates) was released. Similarly, no one will know about the release of the second list.” The BJP surprised political observers on August 17 by announcing its first list of 39 candidates, nearly three months ahead considering that elections in MP will likely be held in November.

Before interacting with the media, Vijayvargiya and local public representatives held a meeting with top police and administration officials to check the increasing crimes in Indore, especially during nighttime.

Expressing concerns after the meeting, Vijayvargiya said there have been one or two criminal incidents in the city recently which could have taken a communal shape. The BJP general secretary said that in view of the upcoming festivals, the police and administration will have to be alert so that such incidents do not recur.