MAPUSA
A motley group of people sporting Gandhian caps hopped from shop to shop distributing literature in the municipal market, while others huddled together in small groups engaging with bystanders at the taxi-stand in Mapusa.
The group belonged to the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party, which was silently spreading the word of good work carried by its party in Delhi.
Listing a host of achievements carried out by the government run by the nascent party in Delhi, the leaflets handed over to the public explained how in its anti-corruption crusade the party had managed to arrest 35 officials and suspended 135 others. A minister was also fired on a corruption charge.
“Within eight months, Arvind Kejriwal’s government cut electricity rates to half, while residents have been given 20,000 litres of free water per month,” the leaflet informed.
The assembly election is still 15 months away, but AAP appears to have quietly started its work in the State, and Mapusa in particular.
A prominent member of the fledgling party confirmed the silent campaign in the commercial town in the North.
“It’s a part of organization building campaign, where we are making people aware of our party,” said Rahul Mhambrey, a member of AAP in Mapusa.
With assembly election not far away, was 2017 on its radar?
“Certainly, we are stepping on the gas and getting ready for the 2017 assembly polls in the State,” he said.
Next, the party will begin a door-to-door campaign to sensitize the electorate in the town.
“This Friday, we will be moving door to door in Khorlim. Simultaneously, we will conduct a short survey asking the residents some simple questions about our party and the government functioning in the State,” Mhambrey disclosed.
“In the survey, people have to tick mark 'yes' or 'no' and answer simple questions like: Are you aware of the Aam Aadmi Party and its symbol? In Goa, do you think BJP-led government has kept its promises in the last 3.5 years? In Goa, do you think the Congress is doing a good job as Opposition,” he added.
For the moment, it’s just a ripple but knowing how AAP took Delhi by storm it could be a handful to the mainstream parties in the State.
The Mapusa BJP Mandal, however, was unperturbed and did not give much credence to the development.
“We are least concerned about what their plans are. Let them do whatever they want. Mapusa has been a MGP bastion which is now taken over by the BJP. People of Mapusa will stand by us,” said Rohan Kavlekar, President, Mapusa BJP Mandal.
