Delhi polls: Eyeing early advantage, AAP names 22 candidates

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) released its first list of 22 candidates for Delhi polls on Thursday of which 12 are sitting MLAs and the remaining are candidates who lost the last election by a small margin.

Elections in Delhi are imminent but the poll schedule has not been announced yet. According to government sources, polls in Delhi could be scheduled in February next. AAP, however, has always declared candidates much ahead of its competitors on the ground that its contestants adequate time to campaign effectively with little funding.

The party has decided to filed Somnath Bharti, former Delhi Law Minister, from Malviya Nagar again. His midnight raid against African nationals had been a big source of the party’s unpopularity outside of Malviya Nagar. Former Transport and Environment minister Saurabh Bharadwaj from Greater Kailash, Bandana Kumari from Shalimar Bagh, Commando Surender from Delhi Cantonment are among other names of sitting MLAs who will fight elections gain.

According to party sources, AAP is likely to drop six to seven sitting legislators as their performance feedback was not up to the mark.

“The decision to repeat or drop a candidate is based on four factors namely volunteer feedback, constituency feedback, and the reports of the observer and district in charge,” said a party source who did not wish to be identified.

The party will field 35 new faces this time and the seven Lok Sabha candidates of Delhi are also in the running to contest state elections this time.