NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) released its first list of 11 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, expected in early 2025. The names were finalized in a political affairs committee meeting chaired by party national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal.
AAP leader Gopal Rai announced that the majority of these candidates are contesting from constituencies that the party does not currently hold. The first list also includes former BJP and Congress leaders who recently joined the party.
The candidates named in the first list are:
- Chhatarpur: Brahma Singh Tanwar (Former BJP)
- Kirari: Anil Jha (Former BJP)
- Vishwas Nagar: Deepak Singla
- Rohtas Nagar: Sarita Singh
- Laxmi Nagar: B.B. Tyagi (Former BJP)
- Badarpur: Ram Singh Netaji
- Seelampur: Chaudhry Zubair Ahmad (Former Congress)
- Seemapuri: Veer Dhingan (Former Congress)
- Ghonda: Gaurav Sharma
- Karawal Nagar: Manoj Tyagi
- Matiala: Sumesh Shokeen (Former Congress)
In the last Delhi Assembly elections held in February 2020, AAP secured a decisive victory, winning 62 out of 70 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed only 8, and Congress failed to win any seats. Arvind Kejriwal continued as chief minister. However, his tenure has been marked by controversy. In March 2024, Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe related to the cancelled Delhi excise policy. He was arrested again by the CBI in June 2024, making him the first sitting CM to be arrested. He was granted bail in September 2024 after the Delhi High Court upheld his plea.
