FILE: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. PTI Photo

ROHTAK/BHIWANI: Looking to gain a foothold in Haryana ahead of the Assembly elections due next year, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday held a roadshow in the Jat-dominated areas in the state, urging people to vote the party to power to build a "new Haryana".

Kejriwal's roadshow comes close on the heels of a rally in Hisar on Sunday where he had announced that the AAP would contest the Haryana Assembly polls.

During his roadshow in the Rohtak-Bhiwani belt of the state on Saturday, he told people to be the change-bearers.

"We have to rebuild Haryana and a new Haryana cannot be made by old parties and old leaders. It's time for change. The AAP is the change. You have tried BJP, Congress and INLD. These parties served their own interests and ignored the common people," Kejriwal said at pit stops along the route.

The roadshow began in the morning and continued till evening.

Kejriwal, who was accompanied by the AAP's Haryana head Naveen Jaihind, covered Bahadurgarh, Sampla and Rohtak, Kalanaur, Dadri, Bhiwani and Tosham during the roadshow.

In one of the brief speeches he made on the way, Kejriwal said, "You have to bring an AAP government in Haryana now. The state needs an honest government. Kejriwal alone cannot do it. I am a small person, but together 2.5 crore people of the state can bring about a change."

Kejriwal told AAP workers and volunteers to reach out to every household and appeal to people to strengthen the party.

"We do not have money to fight elections. We do not have money in our accounts. But people are our biggest strength," he said.

Attacking the BJP and the Congress, he said, "They divide people. Only the AAP can give you security, peace, build schools and hospitals, and help your trade flourish. We do not believe in hollow talks. You can ask the people of Delhi."

"We have to bring a change in the system. Once that change comes, it will not matter if Kejriwal or AAP is there or not tomorrow. The system will take care of itself. We have to root out corruption. We have weeded it out from Delhi, now we have to eliminate it in Haryana.

"We have to work for farmers, traders. We have to shape the future of our children," he told the gatherings, invoking his Haryana roots.

"Ask the people of Delhi, they are happy. We changed the shape of government schools, free medicines are provided at hospitals... There has been no hike in the power tariff in the last three years and the electricity is cheap," he added.

Haryana witnessed a number of violent incidents after the BJP assumed power in the state and many innocent people were killed and property worth crores of rupees was destroyed, Kejriwal alleged.

After tasting defeat at the hustings in the previous Lok Sabha polls from Haryana, the AAP had not contested the October 2014 assembly elections in the state.

