MCD polls: AAP’s second list out, race to the Civic Centre heats up

A party official who asked not to be named said that people with a strong connect with local residents in their areas, and grassroots volunteers have been given preference in the ticket distribution

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) released a list of 117 candidates on Saturday, a day after it announced its first list for the December 4 municipal elections. With the party having announced its candidates for all 250 wards, it is expected to go all out with its campaign, encapsulated by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday in the “Kejriwal Ki 10 guarantees”, after nominations on Monday.

Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia. (PTI)

In the second list, the AAP has replaced one candidate. Manju Devi will be contesting from Badarpur ward which is reserved for SC women candidates. Devi replaces Seema Bhatiya, whose name figured against the Badarpur ward in the first list.

While the BJP announced its first list of 232 candidates on Saturday, the Congress is yet to announce its candidates.

A party official who asked not to be named said that people with a strong connect with local residents in their areas, and grassroots volunteers have been given preference in the ticket distribution.

Like the first list announced on Friday, the second list was also cleared in a meeting of the AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) a meeting of which was chaired by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday. The meeting was also attended by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai and other senior leaders, the official said.

In a statement on Friday, the AAP said that candidates have been selected after extensive survey conducted at the ward-level to assess the popularity, and winnability of contenders. It also took feedback from the local people on their choice of candidates from the wards. More than 20,000 party workers had applied to contest the MCD election on AAP’s ticket, the party said.

Monday is the last date for filing nominations.

Like the first list, the second list also features prominent AAP leaders in the municipal corporation. Having won 48 seats in the 2017 elections, the AAP was the main opposition party in the three erstwhile municipal bodies.

Anil Lakra, former leader of the opposition in North will be contesting from Mundka while Prem Chauhan and leader of the opposition in South MCD has been fielded from Dakhshinpuri. Two more leaders of oppositions- Manoj Tyagi from Sadatpur in east Delhi and Vikas Goel from Keshavpuram ward-- were accommodated in the first list. The Kehshavpuram ward will now witness a direct contest between former leader of the house and deputy mayor Yogesh Verma from BJP and former leader of opposition from AAP, Vikas Goel.

AAP has fielded Ram Chander from Rohini, a seat he had won in the 2021 by-election. Similarly, the sitting councillor Babina Shokeen has been repeated from the Nilothi ward.

On the lines of the first list of candidates, the second list also features some candidates who have joined the AAP from the Congress. Aale Iqbal, who won the Delhi Gate ward in 2017 on the Congress ticket, has been fielded by Aam Admi Party from the Chandni Mahal ward in Old Delhi’s Matia Mahal constituency. Iqbal is the son of former 5-time Congress MLA and former deputy speaker of Delhi Vidhan Sabha Shoaib Iqbal. Iqbal had had joined the AAP with his son in 2020.

AAP has also provided ticket to east Delhi’s veteran councillor Preeti who goes by monicker Behen Preeti. Preeti has been independent councillor as well as Congress candidate from the Vivek Vihar ward. She was first elected in 2002 MCD elections. The list of candidates also features Sudha Sinha from Dwarka B ward. Sinha has been active in RWA movement and is also the president of Federation of CGHS Dwarka.

AAP has fielded Parvesh Chaudhary from Nehru Vihar ward which was represented by Tahir Hussain in 2017 MCD election. Hussain was later expelled from party due to his alleged involvement in the north-east Delhi riots.