Delhi Elections 2020: AAP announces list of 70 candidates, fields 24 new faces and drops 15 sitting MLAs

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded 24 new faces, dropping 15 sitting MLAs, in its list of candidates for the February 8 Delhi assembly elections announced on Tuesday.nnThe new candidates included Atishi Marlena, Dilip Pandey and Raghav Chadha, who unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and five others who recently defected from the Congress.nn

Assembly wise list of #AAPkeCandidates.

Congratulations to all candidates and all the best for the upcoming election.

(Part 1/N) pic.twitter.com/EqXVJ5lzfA

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 14, 2020

nnThe Aam Aadmi Party has fielded senior Congress leader Mahabal Mishra’s son Vinay Kumar Singh from Dwarka constituency, replacing Adarsh Shastri who is the grandson of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.nnThe major omissions included party’s chief whip in the assembly Jagdeep Singh (Hari Nagar), Surender ‘Commando (Delhi Cantt) and Haji Ishraq Khan (Seelampur). The AAP is fielding five-time MLA Shoaib Iqbal, who recently join the party, in place of Asim Ahmed Khan from Matia Mahal.nnBesides replacing 15 sitting MLAs, the party has fielded new candidates on four seats held by opposition BJP and five seats which fell vacant after the AAP MLAs defected.nn

Important Announcement :

Aam Aadmi Party declares all 70 candidates for the upcoming Delhi election.

We congratulate all the candidates and wish them all the best to establish high levels of trust and integrity within their constituency.#AAPKeCandidates pic.twitter.com/mbby8Z2GCR

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 14, 2020

nnTaking to Twitter, senior party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that 46 sitting MLAs will be contesting the upcoming elections and there will be new faces on 24 seats .nn

आम आदमी पार्टी की Political Affairs Committee ने दिल्ली विधानसभा चुनावों के लिए सभी 70 सीटों पर उम्मीदवारों के नाम मंज़ूर कर दिए हैं. 46 सीट पर मौजूदा विधायक चुनाव लड़ेंगे 15 मौजूदा विधायकों की जगह और 9 खाली सीटों पर नए चेहरे होंगे.
इनमें 8 महिलाएँ हैं. 2015 में 6 महिलाए थीं.

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) January 14, 2020

nnThe sitting MLAs denied tickets also include Pankaj Pushkar (Timar Pur), Ram Chander (Bawana),Sukhbir Dalal (Mundka), Hazari Lal Chauhan (Patel Nagar), Vijender Garg (Rajendra Nagar), Avtar Singh (Kalkaji), N D Sharma (Badarpur), Raju Dhingan (Trilokpuri), Manoj Kumar (Kondli), Choudhary Fateh Singh(Gokulpur) and Asim Ahmed Khan (Matia Mahal).nnThey were replaced by Dilip Pandey (Timarpur), Jai Bhagwan Upkar (Bawana), Dharampal Lakada (Mundka), Raj Kumar Anand (Patel Nagar), Raj Kumari Dhillo (Hari Nagar), Vinay Kumar Singh (Dwarka), Virender Singh Kadyan (Delhi Cantt), Raghav Chadha (Rajendra Nagar), Ram Singh Netaji (Badarpur), Rohit Kumar Mehroliya (Trilokpuri), Kuldeep Kumar (Kondli), Abdul Rahman (Seelampur), Surendra Kumar (Gokalpur) and Shoaib Iqbal (Matia Mahal)nnAnil Kumar Bajpai (Gandhi Nagar), Devinder Sehrawat (Bijwasan) and Kapil Mishra (Karawal Nagar), who were elected on AAP ticket, had joined the BJP and lost their membership of the Delhi assembly.nnChandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba and former minister Sandeep Singh had also lost their membership.nnThe Delhi Assembly election will be held on February 8 and the results declared on February 11.nnOn Tuesday, the nomination for the assembly elections began with five persons filing their nomination papers on the first day.nnIn the 2015 assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party had stormed to power by winning 67 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. The BJP had won three seats while Congress drew a blank in the last assembly elections.nnSource: Press Trust of India