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Swaraj Abhiyan likely to float party by October 2

Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan announced on Sunday they will launch a political party by October 2 to provide an “alternative political vehicle” even as they hit out at the

Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan announced on Sunday they will launch a political party by October 2 to provide an “alternative political vehicle” even as they hit out at the AAP, saying the new outfit will not have a “supremo” culture and ensure transparency.

The organisation will launch its political party by October 2 and has set up a committee for this purpose, Mr Yadav said.

“We were never secretive about going political. A decision to launch a political party was taken with nearly 93 per cent of the delegates at a national convention of the Swaraj Abhiyan overwhelmingly supporting it. Of the 433 delegates, 405 voted in favour of launching the party,” he said.

Mr Yadav, however, clarified that the Swaraj Abhiyan will continue to exist even after the new political party is launched. Although the decision to launch a party was taken by the Swaraj Abhiyan delegates, the two will function independently.

The two former AAP leaders, however, parried questions on whether the new political party will contest Assembly elections in the five states going to polls next year.

Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan were sacked from the AAP in April last year for anti-party activities. They had hit out at AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, questioning his “supremo-style of working” and the lack of transparency in the party.

“Even if we are championing clean politics, people will not vote for us unless they feel we can win elections. This was precisely the case with the AAP. It took birth out of movements like India Against Corruption, Janlokpal and these helped it get public support. We should fight elections when we have done enough groundwork, be visible so that people can identify with us. We should contest polls only when we think we can win,” Mr Bhushan said.

Mr Yadav, however, said this does not mean that it will not contest polls at all. “We will look for alliances, but that will be only with people’s movements or parties that have taken birth from such movements,” he said, adding that the new party will not make mistakes which the AAP had made.

Suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi was present at the event, but left just before the announcement was made.

“I am not a part of the political party. I have extended my support to alternative politics, which is not a forte of any single political party. Anyway, I have been suspended by the party,” Mr Gandhi said. The AAP had suspended Mr Gandhi and another party MP, Harinder Singh Khalsa, for aligning with the Swaraj Abhiyan.

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