AAP leaders from Maharashtra, southern states to skip 'Swaraj Samvad'

Mumbai: The frontline leaders of Aam Aadmi Party from Maharashtra have decided to stay away from 'Swaraj Samvad' to be organised in Gurgaon today by the party's dissidents Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan.

Loyalists of Yadav and Bhushan, however, have claimed that almost 200 volunteers and some leaders from here would attend the meeting to express their "solidarity" with the duo.

Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav

Mayank Gandhi, AAP's national executive member in Maharashtra, is not attending the 'Swaraj Samvad' (open dialogue), sources said. Besides, Subhash Ware (party's state unit convenor) and Ravi Srivastava (state executive member) have also decided to adopt a "wait and watch" approach, a senior state leader said. However, Maruti Bhapkar and Manav Kamble (both state executive members) along with volunteers from Nagpur, Marathwada, Kolhapur, Nashik would attend the meeting.

A leader close to Yadav, on condition of anonymity, said, "Let us see whether Yadav and Bhushan have guts to form a new party or not. If both decide to part their ways by forming the party, then we would say good bye to Arvind Kejriwal and his 'yes men club'."

Kamble said, "We have not been removed from the party so far, so we have to strengthen the organisation while being with the party and we are going to Gurgaon to work on it." Leaders from neighbouring states are also likely to skip the meet as of now as a precautionary measure.

AAP spokesperson from Karnataka Shanthala Damle said, "I am not joining tomorrow's meeting and never given a thought to it." Christina Samy, a former national executive member from Tamil Nadu, said she would not be attending the meet as she is recuperating after a surgery but said she was in search of bringing back 'Swaraj' and transparency in the party and that she was with Yadav and Bhushan.