New Delhi : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday announced its final list of 38 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, set to take place in February 2025. Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal will contest from the high-profile New Delhi constituency, while Delhi Chief Minister Atishi will seek re-election from Kalkaji.
In its bid to secure a third consecutive term in power, AAP has fielded many of its prominent leaders, with several sitting ministers and lawmakers running from their home constituencies. The list, released by party National General Secretary Sandeep Pathak, includes 38 names, completing AAP’s slate for all 70 Assembly seats in the national capital.
Key Candidates and Leadership Lineup
The AAP has given tickets to several senior leaders, including Delhi Cabinet Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj, Gopal Rai, Imran Hussain, Raghuvinder Shokeen, and Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat, who will contest from Greater Kailash, Babarpur, Ballimaran, Nangloi Jat, and Sultanpur Majra, respectively. These leaders are seen as key players in AAP’s ongoing efforts to maintain its political dominance in Delhi.
Kejriwal, in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), praised the candidates and reaffirmed AAP’s commitment to the development of Delhi. “Our party has a vision and a plan for the development of Delhiites and a good team of educated people to implement it. There is a long list of works done in the last ten years,” Kejriwal wrote.
He also took a swipe at the opposition, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying, “BJP is missing. They have no CM face, no team, no planning, and no vision for Delhi. They have only one slogan, one policy, and one mission – ‘Remove Kejriwal’. Ask them what they did in 5 years, and they reply, ‘Kejriwal ko bahut gaali di’ (We insulted Kejriwal).”
A Solid Team of Incumbents and New Faces
The AAP has also re-nominated several incumbent legislators, reflecting the party’s confidence in its existing team. Among them is Gopal Rai, the current Minister for Labour and Development, who will contest from Babarpur, and Saurabh Bharadwaj, who will fight the election from Greater Kailash.
Notably, the party has also fielded controversial figures like Amanatullah Khan, the Okhla MLA who is facing allegations in connection with Waqf Board irregularities. Despite the controversy, the party has maintained its trust in Khan, a move that is likely to stir discussions in the run-up to the elections.
Former health minister Satyendra Jain, who spent almost a year in jail in connection with a money laundering case, will also be re-contesting from Shakur Basti, a seat he has represented in the past. Other notable candidates include former MP Mahabal Mishra’s son, Vinay Mishra, who has been fielded from Dwarka, and former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti, who will contest again from Malviya Nagar.
Diverse Representation and Strategic Candidate Choices
AAP’s final candidate list includes a mix of experienced leaders and newcomers. Among the key candidates are Sanjeev Jha from Burari, Ajesh Yadav from Badli, Mohinder Goyal from Rithala, Jai Bhagwan from Bawana, Bandana Kumari from Shalimar Bagh, Preeti Tomar from Tri Nagar, and Shoaib Iqbal from Matia Mahal. The party has also fielded Rajesh Gupta from Wazirpur, Akhilesh Pati Tripathi from Model Town, and Som Dutt from Sadar Bazar, among others.
The list reflects AAP’s strategy to balance its slate by retaining popular incumbents while also giving new faces a chance to contest. The party has also ensured geographical representation, fielding candidates from all corners of Delhi, from the urbanized areas of New Delhi to the outer districts like Bawana and Dwarka.
2020 Success and the Road Ahead
In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, the AAP secured a landslide victory, winning 62 out of 70 seats and cementing its position as the dominant force in Delhi’s political landscape. The upcoming elections are seen as a crucial test of AAP’s governance model, which has focused on issues like education, healthcare, and clean water supply.
With Kejriwal at the helm, the party is expected to make the upcoming election a referendum on its performance over the last decade. The AAP leadership is confident that Delhi’s voters will once again back the party for its focus on development and governance, as opposed to what they describe as the BJP’s focus on personal attacks.
As campaigning intensifies in the coming weeks, it remains to be seen whether AAP’s “development-first” narrative will resonate with the electorate or whether opposition forces can challenge the party’s dominant position in the capital.
