Decoding AAP’s first list for Delhi polls: Headstart for new entrants, with some surprises thrown in

In summation to concentrating connected semi-rural seats successful South Delhi, the AAP’s picks person besides been declared successful trans-Yamuna constituencies successful East Delhi that is considered a BJP stronghold and the Congress’s bastion of Northeast Delhi.

“Seats specified arsenic Badarpur, Laxmi Nagar, Rohtas Nagar, Ghonda, Vishwas Nagar, and Karawal Nagar, for instance, are, oregon were, represented by the BJP. Chhatarpur had an AAP MLA who switched implicit to the BJP portion the erstwhile Seemapuri MLA of the AAP moved implicit to the Congress. The announcement of the names volition springiness our candidates capable clip to construe their section enactment into votes,” said an AAP leader.

“For those who person joined the AAP aft having been with the BJP oregon the Congress for overmuch of their careers and were portion of the second-tier enactment there, much clip to hole tin trim the borderline betwixt them and their competitors — particularly from the Congress who volition regenerate them with caller faces — and construe into a triumph acknowledgment to their clasp connected the section organisation,” the person added. Six of the 11 candidates named were precocious from the BJP and the Congress.

According to an AAP source, determination were immoderate surprises successful the archetypal list. While it had been made wide that the Kirari and Seelampur MLAs would beryllium replaced, the determination to driblet Gulab Singh Yadav from Matiala came arsenic a astonishment to galore successful the party. A two-time MLA, Yadav won successful 2020 by much than 28,000 votes. In 2022, a purported video of Yadav being manhandled by his enactment colleagues up of municipal polls was shared connected respective platforms. Denied a summons from the spot that helium has contested from thrice (2013, 2015 and 2020), the AAP is retired of different agrarian person aft erstwhile curate Kailash Gahlot.

A enactment insider, however, said Yadav was a elder enactment person and the enactment mightiness person different plans for him. “Several changes are needed wrong the enactment arsenic determination is beardown anti-incumbency, particularly successful agrarian seats, which is wherever the AAP had performed good earlier. It is simply a people of interest for the party,” said the AAP leader.

Another leader, however, expressed astonishment astatine the party’s determination to repetition Sarita Singh and Deepak Singhla. Singh won Rohtas Nagar successful 2015 but mislaid successful 2020. Singhla contested successful 2020 but mislaid to BJP’s O P Sharma successful Vishwas Nagar.