'House Tax Half, Water Tax Maaf': AAP Eyes UP Local Body Polls With Promise Of More Freebies

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has launched its election campaign for urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh, promising to reduce house taxes by 50 per cent and waive water taxes in municipal bodies if they win.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh, the party's in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, launched the party's slogan 'House Tax Half, Water Tax Maaf' during a visit to Lucknow.

Singh also declared in-charges for 633 urban local body seats in Uttar Pradesh and stated that the party will contest from every constituency.

He did not provide any details on how the party plans to finance the freebies promised in its election campaign.

The AAP had contested the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in 2022 but failed to make any mark. The party is hoping to gain support by relying on its promise of freebies, which they believe will help them gain an easy entry into the polity of India's most populous state.

In 2017, the AAP contested the Uttar Pradesh civic polls in several wards and won 11 seats.

The BJP swept the elections and won 14 out of 16 mayoral seats. The Congress faced a humiliating defeat in its bastion Amethi, the former Lok Sabha constituency of Rahul Gandhi.

Elections were held for 16 municipal corporations, 118 municipal councils, and 438 nagar panchayats in three phases.

The AAP managed to win one seat of nagar panchayat chairman, two municipal corporation corporators, and eight nagar panchayat member seats.

The party, unable to capture a wider vote base in larger states, outside Punjab, has been attempting to make a headway through local body polls.

In Gujarat, as well, the party was positive that the gains it made in the Surat civic polls would translate into bigger wins in the state elections. However, the AAP could not manage to win a single seat in Surat. Overall, it registered wins in five seats out of 182.

In 2017, AAP had entered the electoral arena in UP with minimal hype, relying on the perception of being born out of the anti-corruption movement.

However, in 2023, the situation has changed. The party is now grappling with serious corruption allegations against top ministers and facing criticism for its handling of law and order in Punjab.

The party's appeal is no longer bolstered by the novelty factor it enjoyed six years ago.

(With inputs from PTI)