Donations to AAP: Bihar ranks 16th

By admin on March 9, 2014

PATNA: Responding to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal’s call to donate generously for the party, Biharis have contributed over Rs 7 lakh for contesting the 2014 polls — Bihar ranks 16th across India in terms of donations to AAP. The donation ranges from single to five digits.

According to party sources, over 320 Patnaites donated over Rs 2 lakh. Over Rs 40,000 was donated by 35 people from Sitamarhi. As many as 57 Nalanda residents gave Rs 40,000 to the party. The AAP could manage to get over Rs 31,000 from 38 people from Munger. Saharsa and Paschimi Champaran residents donated over Rs 30,000 each. Muzaffarpur, Gaya and Begusarai residents gave over Rs 20,000 each to the party.

 

Samastipur and Banka districts have donated over 15,000 each. Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Madhubani and Siwan residents gave over Rs 10,000 each. Party’s IT unit head Ankit Lal, speaking over phone, said the money generated from one constituency can be diverted towards another, if required.

Meanwhile, talking about delay in the declaration of party candidates from the state, Bihar party leaders said they had sent their recommendations to the Delhi-based three-member political affairs committee in February itself. However, due to preoccupation of senior leaders there, they have not yet announced the list, which, state party leaders say, might affect the party’s performance in Bihar.

The list of probables mostly includes people active in social welfare or associated with political movements. A few even defected from other parties to join AAP. A minister in the cabinet of Lalu Prasad and three-time MLA, Ramdev Singh Yadav might contest from Munger. The party’s Patna unit office runs in a part of his house at Kidwaipuri.

Anjar Ansari, a former member of the National Alliance for People’s Movement who has been working for ‘justice’ to Forbesganj police firing victims, may contest from Araria. A retired engineer, SK Das, is also a contender from there. One among the two educationists, Professor AKP Prasad (former Patna University Teachers’ Association general secretary) and Professor Umakant Prasad (Bhagalpur University) may contest from Madhepura. Kishori Das, a Patna-based PUCL member working for housing rights for the urban poor, may be given ticket from Sitamarhi. Bipin Rai, having a similar background, may contest from Buxar.

Mithilesh Yadav, a former CPI-ML member, might be fielded from Jehanabad. Md. Gulzar, a doctor who resigned from government service to help the needy, may contest from Paschimi Champaran.

Over 50 NRIs from Bihar working for AAP

The AAP has seen groundswell of support from NRIs, and Bihar is no exception Over 50 NRIs from Bihar are working for the AAP’s state unit, said Dr Bipin Jha, who has himself come from the UK for LS polls. He said software professionals, bankers and entrepreneurs have been working full-time or part-time for the state unit. A women’s wing of the party was also formed on Saturday on the occasion of International Women’s Day. On the occasion, PU professor Daisy Narain Banerjee talked about the condition of women’s rights in Bihar.