Without Sheila Dikshit, Cong no challenge for AAP: Rai

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi feels that the Congress could pose no challenge to it following the demise of three-time Chief Minister Sheila Diksit.

"The Congress stands nowhere after Dikshit's death," senior AAP leader Gopal Rai told after the Election Commission held a series of meetings here on Thursday.

"We don't consider the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a challenge, because despite its claims, it neither has a chief ministerial face nor any agenda for the elections," Rai said and added, the AAP was fully geared up for the Assembly polls on the basis of its work.

On the AAP's poll readiness, Rai said, "We are prepared at every level campaigning, organising or motivating booth level workers. Our work in the last five years will be the poll plank."

On the election campaign strategy, he said it had already started and was spread over various phases. "We started the Jan Samwad Yatra in September. We had dialogues with different communities in the second phase of the yatra. In the third phase, all our MLAs and office-bearers met booth-level workers. It was the first phase of our election campaign."

The AAP on Thursday launched a door-to-door campaign in which details of the Arvind Kejriwal government's work would be shared with 35 lakh families of Delhi. "It will continue till January 7," he said.

On the possible alliance with the Congress, as tried earlier during the Lok Sabha elections, he said, "The Lok Sabha and The Vidhan Sabha elections are different. We explored alliance with the Congress because the situation was different.

"Now looking at the kind of work the AAP government has done. We are sure to return with a thumping majority of 68 plus seats. That's why we don't need any alliance," he said and added, the party would like the poll panel to announce election dates as soon as possible"

(Sfoorti Mishra can be contacted at sfoorti.m@.in)

( With inputs from IANS )