After a strong show in the recently-held Surat civic polls, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has set his eyes on the 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls. Kejriwal arrived in Surat on Friday, where he said that the party would seek votes from the people of the state in the next Assembly polls based on the performance of the party’s 27 newly-elected corporators in the city.

Also read: ‘New beginning’, tweets Arvind Kejriwal after AAP makes gains in Gujarat civic poll

Polls to six civic bodies in Gujarat, including in Surat, were held on Sunday.

Although the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) retained power in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) by winning 93 seats, AAP bagged the remaining 27 seats. Meanwhile, Congress couldn’t win a single seat.

Addressing the party corporators in Surat, the AAP leader said, “The people of Gujarat are watching you with great hope. In our first attempt, AAP won 28 Assembly seats in Delhi and came to power. People trusted us because they knew that we are true patriots, as we were associated with Anna Hazare’s agitation.”

 “In the 49 days of our rule, we did a lot of pro- people work. As a result, the people of Delhi gave us 67 seats in the second election. Now, six crore people of Gujarat will observe the work of 27 AAP corporators. If you perform well, I am sure there will be a huge revolution in 2022,” the Delhi chief minister added.

Fearing a “poaching attempt”, Kejriwal warned the elected representatives to inform the party leaders if “anyone from the BJP” contacts them over phone and gives an offer to switch sides.

“I am sure that BJP people will call you. But remember, our true wealth is people’s trust. If anyone of you switches side, it will break the trust of six crore people.

Even if one person switches side, the BJP and others will get a chance to say that AAP is no different from others,” he said.

The AAP convenor urged the newly-elected corporators to be ready to help the people of their respective wards, and also asked them to share their phone numbers in their areas so that citizens can contact them easily.

Also read: Gujarat municipal election result: BJP wins in Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar

“Even if you are not able to do someone’s work, never insult those who approach you for help. Always show respect to the people. We will seek votes from the people of Gujarat on the basis of your performance here,” he added.