The AAP seems to be straddling different ideological boats. As the party, which made a stunning electoral debut in Delhi, plunges into the 2014 national electoral battlefield, it seems to be offering everything to everybody.

Incidentally, a recent AAP release announcing some of the new entrants said all those joining are “like-minded people struggling for the rights of the Aam Aadmi”.

Poles apart

However, a quick glance at some of the names gives the impression of an ideological mishmash of the left, right and centre.

For instance, those fighting for land rights and rehabilitation of project-displaced people see some hope in Narmada Bachao Andolan activist Medha Patkar as an AAP candidate in Maharashtra, while the proponents of economic liberalisation and foreign investment can bank on former Royal Bank of Scotland officer Meera Sanyal, another AAP candidate from Mumbai.

Tribal and human rights activists have hailed reports of Chhattisgarh activist Soni Sori joining the AAP, while the party’s tech-savvy young supporters are gung-ho about ex-Infosys board member V Bala in Bangalore joining them.

According to news website scroll.in, 20 years ago, when Patkar was protesting the Dabhol power project while Sanyal was heading the Indian arm of the bank that was financing the project.

While the AAP is yet to make a formal announcement about Sori, she posted in the party’s Facebook page: “Now I want to contest elections and through AAP I want to transform the system.” One of the cases against Sori involves allegations that, in September 2011, she acted as a courier to deliver funds to Maoists from a firm as “protection money”.

Recently, former defence personnel Lt Gen (retd) HS Panag and Lt Gen (retd) TK Chadha had joined the party along with BL Vohra, a retired 1967-batch IPS officer.

Retired IPS officer Kuldip Sharma has also joined the AAP’s Gujarat unit.

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