From seeking a first-mover advantage in constituencies where it has no representation, or deems itself weak, to securing as much of a share of the vote bank it has in common with its INDIA bloc ally Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) decision to declare candidates in 11 seats on Thursday has more than meets the eye, according to party insiders.
Popularity likely to translate into “winnability” — based on continuing surveys of candidates, including sitting MLAs as well as other potential faces — informed the AAP’s decision, said party leaders, while the timing of the announcement aims to give them a head start over their rivals
In addition to concentrating on semi-rural seats in South Delhi, the AAP’s picks have also been declared in trans-Yamuna constituencies in East Delhi that is considered a BJP stronghold and the Congress’s bastion of Northeast Delhi.
“Seats such as Badarpur, Laxmi Nagar, Rohtas Nagar, Ghonda, Vishwas Nagar, and Karawal Nagar, for instance, are, or were, represented by the BJP. Chhatarpur had an AAP MLA who switched over to the BJP while the former Seemapuri MLA of the AAP moved over to the Congress. The announcement of the names will give our candidates adequate time to translate their local support into votes,” said an AAP leader.
“For those who have joined the AAP after having been with the BJP or the Congress for much of their careers and were part of the second-tier leadership there, more time to prepare can reduce the margin between them and their competitors — especially from the Congress who will replace them with new faces — and translate into a win thanks to their hold on the local organisation,” the leader added. Six of the 11 candidates named were recently from the BJP and the Congress.
According to an AAP source, there were some surprises in the first list. While it had been made clear that the Kirari and Seelampur MLAs would be replaced, the decision to drop Gulab Singh Yadav from Matiala came as a surprise to many in the party. A two-time MLA, Yadav won in 2020 by more than 28,000 votes. In 2022, a purported video of Yadav being manhandled by his party colleagues ahead of municipal polls was shared on several platforms. Denied a ticket from the seat that he has contested from thrice (2013, 2015 and 2020), the AAP is out of another rural leader after former minister Kailash Gahlot.
A party insider, however, said Yadav was a senior party leader and the leadership might have other plans for him. “Several changes are needed within the party as there is strong anti-incumbency, especially in rural seats, which is where the AAP had performed well earlier. It is a course of concern for the party,” said the AAP leader.
Another leader, however, expressed surprise at the party’s decision to repeat Sarita Singh and Deepak Singhla. Singh won Rohtas Nagar in 2015 but lost in 2020. Singhla contested in 2020 but lost to BJP’s O P Sharma in Vishwas Nagar.
