NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) effected a major overhaul in the party's organisational structure on Friday, replacing incumbent Delhi unit chief Gopal Rai with Saurabh Bharadwaj and moving the former to Gujarat.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has been made in charge of AAP in Punjab and Satyendar Kumar Jain. Sisodia has replaced Jarnail Singh.
Sisodia’s Punjab shift is also seen as a move to establish strong communication channels between the party’s Punjab unit and the central leadership in Delhi.
He will also keep watch on the Punjab government’s poll promises and their implementation. Lately, the Bhagwant Mann government has been under fire for not fulfilling AAP’s poll promises.
The party has announced new party chiefs in two states and in-charges in four states.
Gopal Rai will be the party’s in-charge for Gujarat while Durgesh Pathak will serve in the capacity of co-convenor.
Sandeep Pathak has been given charge of Chhattisgarh while Mehraj Mallik has been made Jammu and Kashmir chief.
After losing the Delhi battleground, the AAP is eyeing its electoral chances in Gujarat and Goa, the two states where it managed to secure moderate vote percentage earlier.
In Gujarat, AAP won five seats in the last Assembly elections. Gopal Rai and Durgesh Pathak will reassess the ground connect in the state and prepare the party for the next Assembly elections in 2027.
In Goa, AAP has two legislators. Here also, AAP has maintained a vote share of above 5 per cent and will look to consolidate the public support further.
Sandeep Pathak, being shifted from Gujarat to Chhattisgarh assumes importance as he was instrumental in cultivating and drawing people’s support for AAP in the 2022 polls.