The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has released its second list of candidates for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, set to take place in February. In a significant move, the party has shifted its senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, to contest from the Jangpura constituency, replacing his current seat, Patparganj, which he has held since 2013. Avadh Ojha, an educator who recently joined the AAP, will now contest from Patparganj on the party’s behalf.
Sisodia, a prominent figure in the Delhi government, secured decisive wins in both 2013 and 2015 but narrowly managed to retain his seat in 2020. The decision to move him to Jangpura reflects the party’s strategic reshuffling as it prepares for the upcoming election.
Another key change in the party’s candidate list is the nomination of Rakhi Bidlan, the deputy speaker of the Delhi assembly. She will now contest from Madipur instead of her current seat, Mangolpuri, which will be contested by Rakesh Jatav Dharamrakshak.
Other candidates in the new list include Dinesh Bhardwaj from Narela, Surender Pal Singh Bittu from Timarpur, Mukesh Goel from Adarsh Nagar, Jasbir Karala from Mundka, Pradeep Mittal from Rohini, Purandeep Singh Sawhney from Chandni Chowk, Parvesh Ratan from Patel Nagar, Pravin Kumar from Janakpuri, Surender Bharadwaj from Bijaswan, Joginder Solanki from Palam, Prem Kumar Chauhan from Deoli, Anjana Parcha from Trilokpuri, Vikas Bagga from Krishna Nagar, Naveen Choudhary from Gandhi Nagar, Jitender Singh Shunty from Shahdara, and Adil Ahmad Khan from Mustafabad.
Both Jitender Singh Shunty and Parvesh Ratan are new inductees into AAP, having switched allegiance from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which currently holds eight seats in the Delhi assembly. AAP, on the other hand, controls 62 out of the 70 seats in the legislature.
The Delhi assembly elections, expected to be held in February, will be crucial for the AAP, which has been in power in the capital since December 2013, with a brief interruption when the territory was under President’s rule from February 2014 to February 2015.
