AAP releases first list of 8 candidates

NEW DELHI: With by-election for 13 municipal wards expected to be held in May, AAP has already announced a list of eight candidates in the hope to get a head start over other parties. This will be AAP's first municipal election, having already contested twice in Delhi Assembly elections, winning 67 out of 70 seats in 2015.

The candidates - Yogesh Dedha for Khichiripur, Ghanshyan Gaur for Jhilmil, Sachin Singhal for Wazirpur, Arun Singh Chauhan for Qamruddin Nagar, Ramesh Matiala for Matiala, Anil Mallik for Nanakpura, Pawan Tanwar for Bhati Mines and Ashok Saini for Vikas Nagar - hold key organisational posts in the party. Matiala and Tanwar are youth wing members, Dedha is active in the kisan morcha, Saini is a ward in-charge and the rest are volunteers at the district and vidhan sabha level.

"The party's main focus has been on youth and volunteers. Many of them have been with the party for long, some associated since the India Against Corruption days. The names were decided on the basis of feedback from MLAs and others holding key positions in the party," said a senior party member.

AAP has traditionally announced its candidates much in advance, often beating other parties to it by several weeks.However, the party is no longer new to the city and its performance in the state will hold the key to its success in the 2017 municipal election.

"We have been working on the ground for several weeks now and our candidates are people known at the ward levels, at least among the party. We will now start the informal campaign and give candidates enough time for familiarization with the public. During the recent sanitation strike by municipal workers, AAP members and volunteers have been extremely active on ground, working closely with residents to clean up their areas. The smaller an election, the better AAP will perform as it thrives on micro-level campaigns. We believe that we are on strong footing," said a senior party functionary.