The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Kejriwal in Lucknow today, to address joint presser with SP chief Akhilesh
DELHI CHIEF Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court to campaign for Lok Sabha elections, will address a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Thursday.
Kejriwal was earlier scheduled to be part of the joint conference held by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Yadav in Lucknow Wednesday but, party officials said, he had to back out because he was scheduled to lead a roadshow in two constituencies in Delhi, where Congress has its candidate under the INDIA bloc.
Kejriwal is yet to share the stage with any senior Congress leader in the run up to the polls.
While AAP leaders said the plan had to be changed at the last minute because Kejriwal is trying to address as many rallies and roadshows in Delhi as he can beforehe starts a hectic campaign in Punjab, sources said that congress leaders at the national level and the AAP leadership have their doubts about sharing stage when they are not in an alliance in Punjab. While Delhi goes to polls on may 25, punjab votes on june 1.
AAP and Congress are contesting polls in an alliance in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Goa and Assam, while the two parties are going it alone in Punjab owing to pressure from the state units. Congress is AAP’S primary opposition in the state.
Kejriwal, meanwhile, is expected to participate in the Maha Vikas Aghadi rally in Mumbai on May 17, party officials said.
“Since he has become part of the campaign only from saturday, a day after he got out of jail, he is having to tweak his schedule according to pre-decided events. He has already held roadshows in all four seats where AAP is contesting and it was felt that it was important to send out the message that there is complete coordination between the two parties in Delhi before he heads out to other parts of the country as there isn’t much time left,” a senior AAP leader said.