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New Delhi, Feb 12: Buoyed by the Aam Aadmi Party's stellar performance in the Delhi Assembly elections, the Maharashtra unit of the party has decided to fight all forthcoming local elections, including the Mumbai elections.

The AAP’s Bengaluru unit will also contest the municipal corporation polls likely to take place in August or September.

AAP National Executive Member Preeti Sharma Menon said the party will try to “replicate the Delhi model of pragmatism, performance, and people centric policies”.

“We are sure that Maharashtra will shower us with the same faith and love as Delhi has done so,” she said.

The party has decided to field candidates in all the 198 wards of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

"We have been planning to contest the BBMP election when we received a major shot in the arm. The Delhi victory happened because of the good work, which we want to replicate here," AAP's co-convener in Karnataka and party's BBMP campaign in charge Shanthala Damle told PTI on Tuesday.

Born out of an anti-corruption movement, the AAP led by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal registered the second landslide victory by winning 63 out of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections.

According to Damle, AAP in Bengaluru was working in full swing to make its presence felt in the city. "The party has already done its ground workin terms of election campaign and reaching out to the people in Bengaluru," she added.

According to her, the party has already opened around 10 offices and about 50 people have been announced as the assembly president or ward president.

Last month, the party launched a 40-minute movie called 'Hosa Bengaluru' (New Bengaluru) and conducted 50 shows already.

"It shows the Delhi model and explains what can be done in Bengaluru. So that is part of our vision," the AAP leader said.

In its next level of the campaign, AAP intends to conduct 'Jana Samvada' (Dialogue with people) in every street and in every ward.

The preparedness of the party can be gauged from the fact that it has identified many of its candidates for the BBMP elections.

The party has never tasted success in Karnataka anywhere but the Delhi's success story has kindled a new hope as many people would now be waiting to join the AAP, Damle said. The AAP cadres in Bengaluru burst into celebration soon after it became clear that the party was going to script history by forming government for the third consecutive time since its inception.

Sporting their signature caps, party workers lit crackers, danced on the Delhi election song 'Lage Raho Kejriwal'.

Bengaluru, May 22: Police commissioner Bhaskar Rao on Friday said the next two Sundays will be ‘full curfew days’ and the city will be under complete lockdown between 7pm Saturday and 7am Monday.

Addressing the media, the top cop said all essential services will be excluded from the curfew. “People attending weddings and other ceremonies can travel. Those wanting to buy food products or medicines too can step out. However, like in lockdown 1.0, people found loitering unnecessarily will be punished,” he said.

According to Rao, city roads will be barricaded like how it was done during lockdown 1.0 and 2.0.

A senior police officer told TOI that during this period, vehicles could be seized under the Disaster Management Act-2005. “So, we request the public not to come out unnecessarily. If we find people roaming in vehicles, we shall seize the rides and owners will have to approach the court later to get them released,” he said.

The government has extended the lockdown till May 31, which includes two Sundays.
Earlier in the day, the state government allowed inter-state travel from Karnataka with the consent of the receiving state. Praveen Sood, Karnataka DG and IGP, said, “Inter-state pass is not required to go out of Karnataka as long as you have the consent of the receiving state. Due to the lockdown, migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons are stranded at different places. They would be allowed to move as usual.”

Bengaluru, May 17: A group of 86 college students, who went to Malaysia for internship and have been stranded due to lockdown, have appealed to Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to help them return to Karnataka.

The students in the video have also mentioned Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and Kolar MP S Muniswamy and stated that States such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu have made arrangements to bring back their natives from South East Asia.

The students added that they are in the Selangor State of Malaysia. They had arrived there on March 13 for a three-month-long internship as part of their college studies. They are living in apartments arranged by their college and money with them is almost spent, their college is extending them support in this regard. They are not in a position to complete the remaining two months of internship due to lock-down in Malaysia.