Top News

New Delhi, Nov 9 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday announced its candidates for the November 30 bypolls to the 12 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, a day ahead of the conclusion of nomination submission.

The list was approved by Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj.

A keen contest between the ruling BJP and AAP is likely during the polls.

While it serves as an opportunity for AAP to regain lost ground in the MCD, the BJP will look to further strengthen its tally in the 250-member civic body.

According to the list, AAP's Ram Swaroop Kanojia will contest from Dakshin Puri, Anuj Sharma from Sangam Vihar A, and Eeshna Gupta from Greater Kailash. Geeta Rawat has been named AAP candidate from Vinod Nagar, while Babita Ahlawat will fight from Shalimar Bagh B.

Seema Vikas Goel has been fielded from Ashok Vihar, Harsh Sharma from Chandni Chowk, and Muddasir Usman Qureshi from Chandni Mahal. Rajbala Sehrawat will contest from Dwarka B, Anil Lakra from Mundka, Rajan Arora from Naraina, and Neelu Keshav Chauhan from Dichao Kalan.

Bharadwaj extended advance congratulations to all the candidates for their victory. He claimed that all AAP candidates have a strong presence among the people in their respective areas and enjoy complete trust of the public.

The Delhi AAP chief said the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) has decided to give tickets only to the party's dedicated workers.

"We will not give tickets to any parachute candidates coming from other parties. Keeping this in mind, the party has given a ticket to Babita Ahlawat from the Women's Wing to contest from Shalimar Bagh. Similarly, Muddasir Usman Qureshi, state co-secretary of the Youth Wing, has been fielded from Chandni Mahal," he said.

Greater Kailash candidate Eeshna Gupta is co-incharge of Delhi AAP Students' Wing ASAP (Association of Students for Alternative Politics), while Dwarka-B nominee Rajbala Sehrawat is president of Dwarka-B ward unit, he added.

The last date of filing of nominations is November 10, and the scrutiny of papers will take place on November 12. The last date of withdrawal of nomination is November 15.

Reacting to the AAP's list, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said in a post on X, "@AamAadmiParty has fielded former councillor Geeta Rawat, who was earlier arrested in a bribery case, from Vinod Nagar ward. So much for the politics of 'change'!" Of the 12 wards going to the polls, the BJP held nine earlier, while AAP councillors represented the remaining three. Rekha Gupta represented the Shalimar Bagh-B ward, which she relinquished after winning the assembly polls earlier this year, becoming Delhi's chief minister.

BJP's Kamaljeet Sehrawat vacated the Dwarka-B ward after getting elected as MP from the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat. The remaining wards fell vacant after the sitting councillors from the BJP and AAP became MLAs following the assembly polls in February this year. 

(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)