As the Delhi elections approach, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has adjusted its strategy by swapping candidates for two key seats. Sharad Chauhan, the current legislator from Narela, has been re-elected to contest the seat. Previously, Dinesh Bhardwaj had been announced as the candidate for this seat. In Hari Nagar, Rajkumar Dhillon’s ticket has been revoked, and Surinder Sethi has been nominated as the candidate.
Source: aajtak
AAP has now fielded its candidates for all 70 seats. Notably, the party has cut tickets for 20 sitting MLAs, while in three instances, family members of outgoing MLAs were given a chance. Among the ticket holders initially dropped was Sharad Chauhan, who has now been reconsidered. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal has also given opportunities to leaders transitioning from other political parties.
Examining AAP’s candidates list, the first announcement included six out of eleven candidates from other parties. The second list saw 15 sitting MLAs losing their tickets. Tarun Yadav was announced over Kailash Gahlot in the third list, while nearly all candidates were repeated in the final list except for Kasturba Nagar’s MLA, whose ticket was cut, and in Uttam Nagar, MLA Naresh Balyan’s wife received the nomination.
Tickets Awarded to Sons and Wives of Three Legislators
AAP has taken a dynamic approach by cutting several sitting MLAs' tickets, while awarding three seats to the sons and wives of current legislators. Vikas Bagga, son of incumbent MLA S.K. Bagga, received the ticket over his father in Krishna Nagar. Similarly, Puran deep Sahni replaced his father Prahlad Sahni in Chandni Chowk. In Uttam Nagar, the ticket was granted to Posh Balyan, wife of Naresh Balyan, who is currently imprisoned due to extortion charges.
Premier List: Six External Candidates Out of Eleven
Focusing on ticket alterations, the first list saw three sitting MLAs lose their nominations. The major overhaul happened in the second list, where 15 current MLAs were excluded. The third list had only one new announcement, but the fourth list saw 38 candidates declared, with only Kasturba Nagar's sitting MLA Madan Lal dropped.
This electoral round has placed AAP under significant scrutiny as the party, traditionally opposing political defections, included candidates from rival factions. In the inaugural list, 11 candidates were announced, with six transitioning from other parties, split evenly between the BJP and Congress.
