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The Aam Aadmi Party released its first list of 11 candidates in November. While the party has not said anything officially, News18 has learnt that a handful of MLAs may be dropped in the second list also
Delhi is likely to see assembly elections in February. (File pic/PTI)
The process of finalising the candidates for the 2025 assembly polls in Delhi by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party is underway, and more incumbent MLAs may be dropped while some new and fresh faces will be given space in the lists expected in the next few days.
AAP released its first list of 11 candidates in November. While the party has not said anything officially, News18 has learnt that a handful of MLAs may be dropped in the second list also.
“There can be some big surprises. The top party leadership is keeping a close eye on the performance of each and every MLA. A lot of factors are being considered while adding and dropping names,” a source said.
The party, insiders said, will issue the next list in a couple of days.
A lot of things are already happening publicly that hint at replacements.
Ram Niwas Goel, the party’s oldest leader, announced his retirement from electoral politics last week in a letter to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.
Goel is the Delhi assembly speaker and Shahdara MLA since 2015. He was also elected from the seat in 1993 for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The same day, within minutes of acknowledging Goel’s resignation, Kejriwal announced that BJP’s Jitender Singh ‘Shunty’ was joining AAP. Goel’s letter was written last month but was made public only last week.
Shunty, aged 62, won the Shahdara seat in 2013. In the 2015 elections, Goel defeated him by a margin of around 12,000 votes.
Not just Goel, but some more AAP leaders have indicated that they may be replaced.
In the 2020 assembly polls, AAP dropped 15 incumbent MLAs from its list of 70 candidates while 24 new faces were fielded. These included now-CM Atishi, the party’s present Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, and also Dilip Pandey. These three had failed in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Pandey, after losing in the Lok Sabha elections, contested and won the 2020 Delhi assembly elections from Timarpur. He defeated BJP’s Surendra Pal Singh Bittu.
Incidentally, last week Bittu joined AAP. But a little before his joining and just a day after Goel’s letter, Pandey posted on social media site X, hinting that he may be denied a ticket for the upcoming polls from the Timarpur seat, saying it was time for him to do something else while he continues to be with the party.
Officially, AAP leaders are not saying anything, but back-to-back joinings of “defectors” are making several incumbent legislators uncomfortable.
Demanding anonymity, at least three AAP MLAs told News18 that if the party keeps trusting newcomers, it would not just weaken its base but also bring unwanted outcomes.
“It is not correct to sideline those who worked so hard for the party. This should not be a reward for the local workers who stood with the party even when everything else was against it,” said an MLA.
They, however, added that they will accept whatever role the party decides for them and will stick to AAP even when denied tickets.
Last week, BJP Yuva Morcha leader Pravesh Ratn joined AAP. He contested the 2020 elections from the Patel Nagar (Central) assembly constituency but was defeated by AAP candidate Raaj Kumar Anand. In July, Anand moved to the BJP. So AAP had a vacancy.
Last week, celebrity teacher Avadh Ojha joined AAP. While at first glance it seems like he is there just to support the party, leaders have not denied the possibility that he may contest the polls.
Last month, when former MLA from Matiala assembly constituency Sumesh Shokeen joined AAP, the party dropped Gulab Singh from the first list. He was not just a two-time AAP MLA from the seat but defeated the former Congress legislator by a huge margin. Shokeen bagged close to 50,000 votes in 2013, 20,000 in 2015, and 7,300 in 2020. AAP won the seat in 2020 and 2015 with more than one lakh votes.
Apart from the Matiala MLA, AAP also dropped Rituraj Jha from Kirari and Abdul Rehman from Seelampur.
The next list, expected in a few days, will reveal who else will make it to the 2025 assembly poll battle in Delhi.
In 2020, AAP won 62 out of the 70 seats, and earlier in 2015, it netted 67 seats on its own.
