AAP finalizes Delhi candidate list: Kejriwal, Atishi retain seats
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New Delhi: The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday released its fourth and final list of 38 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. The party reaffirmed its confidence in Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who will recontest from the New Delhi seat, and Atishi, who will again stand from her Kalkaji constituency. Most of the current Cabinet ministers have retained their seats.
In a significant move, the party replaced controversial Uttam Nagar legislator Naresh Balyan, who was arrested in an alleged extortion case, with his wife, Pooja Naresh Balyan. Another notable inclusion is Ramesh Pahelwan, who will contest from Kasturba Nagar, replacing three-time sitting legislator Madan Lal. Pahelwan rejoined the party just hours before the final list was released, marking his return after leaving AAP in 2013.
The party also stood by Mehrauli MLA Naresh Yadav, who faced criticism from opposition parties after his conviction in a Quran sacrilege case in Punjab. Despite past controversies, including those involving Amanatullah Khan from Okhla and former Health Minister Satyendar Kumar Jain, the AAP leadership has fielded these candidates again. Jain, who spent nearly a year in jail on money laundering charges, will contest from Shakur Basti.
The list, issued by AAP National General Secretary Sandeep Pathak, highlights the party’s faith in the performance of its legislators. Over three dozen sitting MLAs have been given tickets for the elections to select members of the 70-seat Delhi Assembly.
Key Cabinet ministers like Gopal Rai from Babarpur and Saurabh Bhardwaj from Greater Kailash have been retained. Other prominent candidates include Dwarka MLA Vinay Mishra, the son of former MP Mahabal Mishra, and Somnath Bharti, who will contest again from Malviya Nagar.
Some of the other crucial names on the list 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.
The AAP’s candidate list reflects a mix of loyalty to longstanding members and strategic changes aimed at strengthening the party’s position in the Assembly elections.
With IANS inputs