AAP releases final list of 38 names for Delhi polls

Taking a lead over rivals, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) released its final and fourth list of 38 candidates for Delhi Assembly elections on Sunday, re-fielding Chief Minister Atishi from her Kalkaji constituency and Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi seat.

The party has now named 70 candidates even before the announcement of Assembly poll dates, giving its nominees almost two months for campaigning.

Controversial Uttam Nagar legislator Naresh Balyan, arrested in an alleged extortion case, has been replaced by his wife Pooja Naresh Balyan.

The AAP has also reposed faith in Mehrauli legislator Naresh Yadav, who was attacked by the Opposition parties after his conviction in a Holy Quran sacrilege case in Punjab.

The AAP has also backed many MLAs who have been involved in controversies over the last five years. Satyendra Kumar Jain, who remained in jail in a money laundering case, and Amanatullah Khan, who was involved in a case related to alleged Waqf Board irregularities, have been re-fielded from Shakur Basti and Okhla, respectively. A surprise inclusion was Ramesh Pahelwan from Kasturba Nagar, replacing three-time sitting legislator Madan Lal.

Pahelwan has returned to the party fold, after leaving it in 2013, just hours before the release of the final list of party candidates.

The list, issued by AAP National General Secretary Sandeep Pathak, showed the party’s belief in the performance of over three dozen sitting legislators who have again been given tickets.

Minister Gopal Rai will contest from Babarpur and his Cabinet colleague Saurabh Bhardwaj will fight the election from Greater Kailash.

Former MP Mahabal Mishra’s son Vinay Mishra has once again been fielded from Dwarka. Former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti has also been re-fielded from Malviya Nagar.

Some of the other key candidates are: Sanjeev Jha from Burari, Ajesh Yadav from Badli, Mohinder Goyal from Rithala, Jai Bhagwan from Bawana, Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat from Sultan Pur Majra, Raghuvinder Shokeen from Nangloi Jat, Bandana Kumari from Shalimar Bagh, Preeti Tomar from Tri Nagar, Rajesh Gupta from Wazirpur, Akhilesh Pati Tripathi from Model Town, Som Dutt from Sadar Bazar, Shoaib Iqbal from Matia Mahal and Imran Hussain from Ballimaran.

Others include Vishesh Ravi from Karol Bagh, Shiv Charan Goel from Moti Nagar, Dhanwati Chandela from Rajouri Garden, Raj Kumari Dhillon from Hari Nagar, Jarnail Singh from Tilak Nagar, Mahinder Yadav from Vikaspuri, Virender Singh Kadian from Delhi Cantonment, Durgesh Pathak from Rajinder Nagar, Pramila Tokas from R.K. Puram, Ajay Dutt from Ambedkar Nagar, Dinesh Mohaniya from Sangam Vihar, Sahi Ram from Tughlakabad, Kuldeep Kumar from Kondli and Surendra Kumar from Gokalpur.

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Virendra Sachdeva on Sunday described the AAP’s final list of 38 candidates as a “list of criminals”, with many of the nominees being out on bail or involved in controversies.

“Whether it is Arvind Kejriwal, Satyendra Kumar Jain or Amanatullah Khan, this is a list of law-breakers,” Sachdeva told IANS, claiming that the list showed that Kejriwal was sheltering criminals in Delhi.

Asked about the perceived delay in the announcement of BJP candidates, Sachdeva said, “The BJP doesn’t need Kerjriwal’s approval to release names of its candidates. We know when to do it.”

The Delhi BJP chief welcomed the decision by Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi to recontest the Assembly election from their sitting seats. “This will help hold Kejriwal accountable for the work he has done over the past 10 years,” said Sachdeva.

Former West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma told reporters, “People from the New Delhi Assembly constituency are eager to teach a lesson to Arvind Kejriwal.”

He said in the past 11 years, Kejriwal has ignored his constituency, causing immense displeasure among the electorate. “He will be handed a historic defeat,” said Verma.

Training his guns on former Chief Minister Kejriwal, Verma said the AAP convenor was involved in the liquor policy scam, corruption in the renovation of his official residence or ‘Sheesh Mahal’ and adding to the pollution in the Yamuna.

Indo-Asian News Service