AAP banking on social activists, youth power in Haryana

CHANDIGARH: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has announced its candidates for all the ten Lok Sabha seats from Haryana, is banking on social activists and youth power in the Congress-ruled state.

Led by party's senior leader and political scientist Yogendra Yadav, AAP is confident of doing well in the state.

"We will do quite well in the state as people are desperately looking for a change and they see a ray of hope in our party," AAP's Haryana unit chief spokesman Rajeev Godara said.

Among the four candidates announced today by the party are state unit general secretary, Paramjeet Singh (36) from Karnal, social activist, Surender Pal Singh (53) from Ambala (SC), Lalit Aggarwal (39) from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh, and Purshottam Dagar (32) from Faridabad.

The average age of the party candidates is 47, with four of them being in the age group of 32 to 39 years.

Oldest among the nominees is social activist, Poonam Chand Ratti (60) who will contest the polls from Sirsa (SC) which is now represented by Haryana Congress President Ashok Tanwar.

Youth leader Naveen Jaihind (32) will take on Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's son Deepender Singh Hooda, in Rohtak.

Woman farm leader Balwinder Kaur (50) has been chosen from Kurukshetra, which is represented by industrialist Naveen Jindal of Congress.

Former IAS officer Yudhbir Singh Khyalia (59), who had recently taken retirement to join AAP, will fight from Hisar seat, where Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal, is the sitting MP.

Social activist and advocate Jaisingh Thekedar (63) will contest from Sonepat.

Meanwhile, while Congress has so far announced its candidates for seven Lok Sabha seats from Haryana, other main parties in the fray including the BJP and INLD are yet to declare their nominees.