Residents join Aam Aadmi Party at Gurhatta in Patna City on Tuesday. Picture by Sachin

Demand for membership to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), buoyed by the the party’s victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, has triggered a shortfall of the receipts.

AAP member Ratnesh Choudhary, who co-ordinates the functioning of the party in the state capital, said he has sent a requisition for membership receipts to Delhi.

“Ever since the AAP bagged 28 seats in the Delhi Assembly election, there has been a huge rush for membership. People, especially professionals, students, doctors, businessmen are joining the party. The rush picked up after Arvind Kejriwal took oath as Delhi’s seventh chief minister. On December 28, around 600 people became members of the party,” said Choudhary.

The rush has led to shortage of membership receipts. “We have sent requisition for membership receipts to Delhi. For the past two days, we have been asking people to join the party online by paying Rs 10 through debit or credit card,” he said. Around 20,000 people from the state capital have joined AAP via www.aamaadmiparty.org.

Chhapra resident Ayush Kumar, who joined the party 15 days back, said: “1857 revolt talwar se hui thi, 1947 ki ladai laathi se hui thi aur iss baar ki ladai jhaadu se hogi. (sword was used in the revolt of 1857, we got Independence using Gandhi’s lathi. This time, brooms would be used).”

When The Telegraph asked him the reason for joining AAP, the final-year BCom student of Indira Gandhi National Open University, said: “The Aam Aadmi Party is not involved in any sort of corruption. I believe people are fed up with old faces.”

In Bihar, the AAP does not have any state unit but it has committees in all 38 districts. The party membership drive is being conducted in several other districts, which include Bhagalpur, Jehanabad, Banka, Bhojpur and Sitamarhi. Nadeem Javed, another member and a resident of Vikram in Patna district, said: “Unlike other political parties, AAP is a performing one. I am very impressed with it. It not only makes promises but also delivers on those. The AAP has a clean image. They have given up using red beacon and security.”

Dr Diwakar Tejaswi on Tuesday urged youths to join the AAP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. “I ask the youths to join the AAP and be prepared for the Lok Sabha elections. I will also request that every youth must inform at least 10 people about joining the AAP via the online registration facility,” he said.