After Punjab, AAP eyes Himachal; BJP says no scope for ‘3rd’ front

Shimla: The AAP is hopeful of repeating its Punjab-type’ performance in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, scheduled to be held later this year.

The ruling BJP, on the other hand, maintains that it will retain power in the hill state after its remarkable performance in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Buoyed with a landslide victory in neighbouring Punjab, Himachal Pradesh Aam Aadmi Party president Anup Kesri told PTI that the people of the state are fed up with the traditional political parties.

The AAP will create history in Himachal Pradesh like it has created in Punjab, and it will form its government in the hill state, he added.

The Arvind Kejriwalled party had failed to secure any seat in the previous elections in Himachal Pradesh, whereas it had won four Lok Sabha and 20 Vidhan Sabha seats in Punjab previously. When asked about this, Kesri said the AAP had created its base in each of the 67 Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh.

Further, the Punjab poll results will certainly have a positive impact on the AAP’s performance in Himachal Pradesh, he said, adding that AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and other prominent leaders of the party are expected to visit the state soon.