AAP reviewing participation in Bengal civic polls: Party source

Kolkata, Dec 19 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had been silently expanding its network in West Bengal, is now reviewing its preparedness for the state's three-tier panchayat polls scheduled for next year, a party source said here on Monday.

However, the extent of the review will be decided by the party's central leadership.

According to the sources, AAP has already constituted district committees in 19 of the 23 districts and in some districts block-level committees have been formed also. "Through the review, the party leadership will take an estimate about the strengths and weaknesses of the respective district committees. It will also try to have a rough estimate of how many candidates in each of the three tiers of the panchayat system in each district can be fielded. Once that is over, it will be clear to what extent our participation in the electoral battle for the rural civic body polls in West Bengal will be," he said.

Mrityunjay Basak, one the district observers of the party, confirmed that the final decision on this count will be taken by the central leadership after reviewing the ground- level situation in each district.

According to him, review reports from individual districts will be compiled by the state committee and sent to the central leadership for their observations and only after that will the picture will be clear on the extent of the party's participation in the rural civic body polls.

Meanwhile, it has already been decided that AAP entry in the state's electoral field will be as an individual party without any official understanding with any other political force in the state.

However, a party leader in the state, said on strict condition of anonymity, that since the ground-level realities in panchayat polls is totally different from that of Lok Sabha or assembly polls, there might be some grassroots level unofficial understanding with third forces in some districts depending on the requirements and situations evolving.