Lok Sabha polls: AAP to contest elections in as many states as possible

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced on Saturday that it will contest most seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

AAP leader Prashant Bhushan said the decision was taken at the start of a two-day national executive meeting following the popular response across the country after the AAP took power in Delhi.

Stimulated by its impressive Delhi debut, AAP on Saturday announced its intention to contest Lok Sabha elections. However, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal refused to contest Lok Sabha polls. He said, "I will not fight 2014 Lok Sabha polls but will campaign for the party. National politics should not be reduced to personality politics. I am not important, Modi and Rahul Gandhi too are not important."

After Kejriwal's refusal, party leader Kumar Vishwas said, "It's Kejriwal's personal view and its too early to decide who will fight elections and who will not. I think Kejriwal right now wants to focus on Delhi only."

Kejriwal's statement came hours after party leader Yogendra Yadav earlier had said, "We have always said that contest between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi for the prime miniterial post is not a good signal. We should have a better alternative. It is my dream that Arvind Kejriwal becomes the prime minister but it depends on a lot of things including the party strength in numbers. So it is too early to say anything."

"AAP will fight the Lok Sabha election, contest in the maximum number of states, and in as many seats as possible," he told the media here.

He said the AAP will field candidates wherever "we have a reasonable (party) structure and we get good candidates".

Another AAP leader, Sanjay Singh, added that the decision to enter the Lok Sabha battle had nothing to do with other political parties.

"We have made it clear that we have no alliance with the Congress in Delhi.

"We are not fighting elections to harm or benefit anyone," he said, adding it made no difference whether the AAP decision harmed or benefited BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi or Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.