AAP’s second list: Ojha replaces Sisodia in Patparganj, talks of ‘safe seat’ for Kejriwal’s top aide

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday released its second list of 20 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the capital. Manish Sisodia, the former Delhi Deputy CM and Arvind Kejriwal’s closest aide, has been named in the list, however, his constituency has been changed from Patparganj to Jangpura, apparently an AAP stronghold.

Avadh Ojha, the UPSC coach recently inducted into the party, will fill in the space left by Sisodia and will make his electoral foray from Patparganj seat. Sisodia’s constituency shift in the impending polls assumes significance in light of the fact that he has held the Patparganj Assembly constituency for long, however, his electoral fortunes wavered and got almost crushed in 2020 elections. He witnessed a tight contest on Patparganj seat and managed to win with a wafer-thin majority of just over 3,000 votes. In prior contests in 2013 and 2015, he defeated his closest rival on the same seat, by huge margins.

Avadh Ojha, who was recently inducted into AAP will seek to galvanise public support of the ruling party and counter the anti-incumbency factor in the constituency, owing to liquor heat on former Delhi Deputy CM. Among the other notable faces who are part of the 20-member list include Surendra Bhardwaj, Rakhi Birla and others. Delhi Assembly elections are slated to be held early next year. Though Kejriwal-led AAP has remained unchallenged in the past ten years, the party is facing possibly its biggest challenge, this time. BJP, the main opposition party has been relentlessly attacking the AAP government over corruption and graft charges, claiming that the ruling party works with only one agenda – promoting and shielding the corrupt, with its party brass taking the lead.

In the AAP's second list, Dinesh Bhardwaj will contest from Narela seat, Surendra Pal Singh Bittu from Timarpur, Mukesh Goyal from Adarsh Nagar, Jasbir Karala from Mundka, Rakesh Jatav from Mangolpuri, Pradeep Mittal from Rohini, Puran Singh Shahane from Chandni Chowk, Parvesh Ratan from Patel Nagar, Rakhi Birla from Madipur, Praveen Kumar from Janakpuri and Surendra Bhardwaj from Bijwasan. Other AAP candidates contesting the upcoming polls include Joginder Solanki (Palam), Prem Kumar Chauhan (Deoli), Anjana Parcha (Trilokpuri), Vikas Bagga (Krishnanagar), Naveen Chaudhary (Gandhinagar), Jitendra Singh Shanti (Shahdara), Adil Ahmed Khan (Mustafabad).