By TCN News,
New Delhi: Delhi state unit president of the Peace Party of India Master Sher Mohammad Khan led around 300 workers, including top office bearers, on Friday announced its merger into the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Ahead of the February 7 Delhi assembly polls, this will lead to consolidating more Muslim votes for the Arvind Kejriwal lead party as the Peace Party – that made its debut in 2012 municipal polls – had been formed largely banking on Muslim votes.
When the PPI contested its debut elections in Uttar Pradesh by-polls in 2010, it had got more votes than Samajwadi Party and Congress due to sheer support from Muslim dominated areas from across the Uttar Pradesh. Hoping to encash the same popularity, the party had made a debut in Delhi in 2012.
Peace Party candidates who had contested the 2013 assembly elections of Delhi have pledged their support to the AAP candidates, particularly in East and North-East Delhi, which has large pockets of Muslim dominated neighbourhoods.
The Peace Party was the only major Muslim-led party that had announced contesting Delhi elections – although just on one seat – with all others parties such as All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Social Democratic Party of India and the Welfare Party of India staying out.
The Delhi state unit office bearers and other workers joined AAP at the latter’s office at New Delhi in the presence of party leaders Sanjay Singh and Dilip Pandey, AAP claimed in a release here.
Among those who joined the AAP on Friday were – Nazakat Ali, state general secretary, Fakruddin Saifi state vice president, advocate Brij Kishore, general secretary of the UP state unit and Habib Malik from Delhi state committee.
Incidentally, name of Kesar, who had filed nomination as Peace Party’s candidate from Babarpur constituency in northeast Delhi, remains on the list as the date for withdrawing is well past over. TCN could not reach either Kesar or anyone from the Peace Party to find out the fate of this seat.
Delhi votes on February 7 to elect 70 members to its assembly. The 2013 December results had thrown a hung verdict and AAP had gone to form a minority government with outside support of Congress. After the Kejriwal government resigned in February 2014, Delhi was put under President’s Rule.