AAP claims one lakh members in Bihar

Patna: There are over 35,000 “missed call” members of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Bihar. The AAP has issued a mobile number where an applicant has to make a missed call to register himself as its member. Bihar unit of AAP on Saturday claimed that 45,000 people submitted their membership applications online in the last two days.

Ratnesh Chaudhury, a senior leader of AAP, claimed that the membership in Bihar has crossed over one lakh. On Friday, the party collected 16,000 forms and ordered for printing more application forms, he claimed.

While there is no scope of verification of antecedents of the missed call applicants, the party has started scrutiny of forms submitted online and also collected at 101 counters in the state capital. Application of a former police officer, who had been posted at Bokaro (Jharkhand) and also in the state vigilance department, was not entertained by the party headquarters where the form was sent for scrutiny. The AAP headquarters got reports of corruption charges against the former IPS officer, Chaudhury said.

He said the AAP has attracted the people from rural areas also as people have submitted their forms at Khusrupur, Sonepur, Fatuha, Bakhtiarpur, Shahpur and villages in Rohtas, Buxar and Kaimur districts. The new entrants have been influenced by their friends and relatives staying in New Delhi, Chaudhury admitted and said the number of young professionals was very high.

Some leaders of the JD (U) have also approached the party for membership. They have decided to join the party following the lone JD (U) member in Delhi assembly deciding to join the AAP, Chaudhury said and added that the leaders of some JD (U) cells opted to join AAP on Saturday. Some leaders of the JP-led students movement of 1974-77, led by Chhotan Singh, a member of the steering committee of the students movement, have joined AAP, Chaudhury said.

Former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi has started making personal contacts with the voters and reintroduced his janta darbar to hear grievances of the common man on Tuesday. The BJP has advised all leaders to start personal contacts with the electorate like Arvind Kejriwal and his team did in New Delhi before the assembly elections.

Courtesy: TNN