AAP Declares Candidates for Crucial Delhi Municipal Bypolls
The Aam Aadmi Party has officially revealed its list of candidates for the upcoming by-elections to 12 wards of the Delhi Municipal Corporation. The announcement came on Sunday, just one day before the deadline for nomination submissions concludes.
Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj gave his approval to the final candidate list, setting the stage for what promises to be an intense electoral battle between the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Complete Candidate List for 12 Wards
The party has fielded a diverse group of candidates across the 12 municipal wards. Ram Swaroop Kanojia will represent AAP from Dakshin Puri, while Anuj Sharma will contest from Sangam Vihar A. The Greater Kailash constituency will see Eeshna Gupta as the AAP candidate.
Other notable candidates include Geeta Rawat from Vinod Nagar, Babita Ahlawat from Shalimar Bagh B, and Seema Vikas Goel from Ashok Vihar. The party has also nominated Harsh Sharma for Chandni Chowk and Muddasir Usman Qureshi for Chandni Mahal.
Completing the list are Rajbala Sehrawat from Dwarka B, Anil Lakra from Mundka, Rajan Arora from Naraina, and Keshav Chauhan from Dichao Kalan.
Election Schedule and Political Significance
The electoral process follows a strict timeline with November 10 marking the final date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nomination papers will occur on November 12, while November 15 serves as the last date for withdrawal of nominations.
These bypolls carry significant political weight for both major parties. For the Aam Aadmi Party, this represents a crucial opportunity to reclaim lost territory within the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Meanwhile, the BJP aims to consolidate its existing strength in the 250-member civic body.
Historical context reveals that the BJP previously controlled nine of these twelve wards, while AAP councillors represented the remaining three. The vacancies occurred due to several councillors transitioning to higher political offices.
Rekha Gupta vacated the Shalimar Bagh-B ward after her victory in the Assembly polls earlier this year, which led to her becoming Delhi's chief minister. Similarly, BJP's Kamaljeet Sehrawat left the Dwarka-B ward following her election as MP from the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat.
The remaining wards became vacant after sitting councillors from both BJP and AAP secured positions as MLAs during the assembly elections held in February this year.
With the stage set for November 30, political observers anticipate a fiercely contested battle that could reshape the dynamics within Delhi's municipal governance structure.
