Aam Aadmi Party to release first list of candidates this week

NEW DELHI: Aiming to recapture power, the Aam Aadmi Party has finalised a list of 30 candidates, which includes former ministers as well as party Chief Arvind Kejriwal, for Delhi assembly polls and it will be released this week.

Sources said party has decided not to give tickets to six former legislators including former Speaker of the Assembly Maninder Singh Dhir, Raju Dhingan, Dharmendra Singh Kohli, Harish Khanna and Rajesh Garg.

All former Ministers including Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Birla, Somnath Bharti, Girish Soni, Sourav Bhardwaj and Satyendra Kumar Jain are likely to figure in the first list.

It was decided that Kejriwal will seek re-election from New Delhi seat where he had defeated three-time Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit by over 22,000 votes.

The sources said the party has taken the decision not to give tickets to six former legislators following "ground reports" on their performance.

It was known that the party has decided not to repeat at least 35 candidates who were given tickets in the assembly polls last year.

The party leadership was unhappy over Dhingan's "ineffective" role during clashes in Trilokpuri, his constituency, while Dhir's performance in his Jangpura constituency was not found "satisfactory".

Performance of former Seemapuri legislator Dharmendra Kohli was also not "positive" due to which he will also be denied tickets, the sources said.

Harish Khanna, former MLA of Timarpur, and Rajesh Garg who had won from Rohini seat in assembly polls in December last year, have already indicated their unwillingness to fight the polls.

The party has decided not to give tickets to Khanna and Garg as well.

AAP has started preparations for the polls which is likely to take place in February.

The AAP had made a dream debut in Assembly polls in December last year winning 28 seats in the 70-member assembly.

Later, it had formed government in Delhi with the support of Congress.

The government led by Kejriwal had resigned on February 14 after the party's pet project, the Janlokpal Bill, could not be passed due to opposition from BJP and Congress.

The Delhi Assembly was dissolved on November 4 by President Pranab Mukherjee following recommendation by the Union Cabinet.