Nine people from Himachal Pradesh, including a key Hindu Raksha Mahasabha functionary, three former armed forces personnel and two retired officers of the state administrative service, joined the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday.
At least 1,000 people associated with these nine persons, who come from different walks of life, will join the party in Kangra district of the hill state on May 8, AAP in-charge of Himachal Pradesh and Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said at a joint press conference with the newly-inducted members.
"They have joined the party as they were impressed by the policies of AAP and Arvind Kejriwal. All of them are very active in society and doing a lot of work in their respective fields," he said.
"At least 1,000 people who are associated with them will join the party on May 8. We will organise an event in Kangra to formally induct them into the party," Jain added.
Former armed forces personnel who joined the party are Lt Col (retd) Manish Kumar, national president of Veteran India; Col (retd) Bachan Singh Rana, national coordinator and Himachal Pradesh in-charge of the Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha; Capt Baljeet Singh Dadhwal, founding member of the Former Soldier League.
Raj Kumar and Suresh Dhiman, who joined the AAP along with others are retired SDOs (sub divisional officers).
At present, Kumar is the president of the Kabirpanthi Sabha in Himachal Pradesh while Dhiman is the state president of Akhil Bharatiya Pragativadi Dhiman Brahman Mahasabha, AAP leader Jain said.
Others who joined the party are national general secretary of Hindu Raksha Mahasabha Rajesh Bhardwaj, Himachal Pradesh Ravidas Sabha spokesperson and former BSP leader Vijay Vidyarthi, former Congress leader and a businessman Santosh Kanodia and Rishi, a software engineer.
Since the AAP's stupendous victory in the Punjab assembly polls, several local leaders in Himachal Pradesh including those from the Congress and the BJP have joined the Arvind Kejriwal-led party which is gearing up to contest the assembly polls in the BJP-ruled state later this year.
The AAP, however, also recently lost some of key functionaries of its state unit including its president as they switched over to the BJP.
As the AAP is in process of "reorganising" its state unit following the defections to the BJP, it has kept its doors open for the like-minded leaders willing to join from other parties.
The AAP has kept up special focus on creating "new leadership" in the poll-bound state by inducting people from various walks of life as part of its cadre building and expansion plan in Himachal Pradesh.
