he Aam Aadmi Party's political campaign in Western Uttar Pradesh is likely to be marred by the presence of political rejects and people with "dubious" track records. Besides, the AAP's membership drive is not as vibrant as the media hype surrounding it.

According to sources, four present MPs from different parties, including Dr Shafiqur Rehman Barq of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), are all set to join the AAP. Barq has been denied a ticket by the BSP on disciplinary grounds, for walking out of a Parliament session during the singing of the National Song Vande Mataram.

Barq could not be contacted for his comments, but people lobbying for a Lok Sabha ticket for him said that he may join AAP.

Kamal Farooqui, a former Samajwadi Party member, is also likely to become an AAP member. Farooqui was expelled from the SP for his remark on Muslims being falsely held for terror charges after the arrest of terror accused Yasin Bhatkal.

AAP office bearers did not comment on whether Barq and Kamal could be inducted in the party.

When this correspondent toured some Western UP districts such as Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Amroha, Sambhal and Aligarh to assess the the impact the party was having there, he got mixed signals. While some were hopeful of AAP emerging as a national alternative political force to mainstream parties like the BJP and Congress, many others described it as anarchist, a political fraud and a parking lot for political opportunists.Image 2nd

"We started our membership drive in our city on 7 January and we are getting a massive response. People from all sections have been coming to our office to join us," claimed Mohammed Sherdil, an AAP member in Meerut. But Sherdil did not disclose how many had joined AAP in the city. Meanwhile, a journalist with a local Hindi newspaper told this correspondent that AAP was yet to gain any momentum in Meerut and it was only some Muslims who had shown some interest in the party. "After the Muzaffarnagar riots, there is a sharp anti-Congress and anti-Samajwadi Party sentiment among Meerut's Muslims. They are also angry with their local Muslim leaders and hence some are drifting toward AAP. But only a small number of Muslims have joined AAP so far," he said.

Some reports about tainted and political opportunists are also doing the rounds. Vijaypal, an AAP member in Sambhal district, is facing charges of physical assault on government officials. "People like Vijaypal are roaming around wearing AAP caps," said Nabiullah, a local in Sambhal.

When contacted, AAP office bearers admitted that people with dubious records may be joining the district units of the party. "But if anybody is found to have a tainted record or if there are genuine complaints against him, he will be purged," said Sudhir Bhardwaj, media coordinator for AAP in UP.