Delhi Elections: AAP Finalizes 38 Candidates, Kejriwal and Atishi Secure Their Seats

New Delhi, Dec 15 (NationPress) Taking a decisive step ahead of their competitors, the ruling AAP has published its final and fourth list comprising 38 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections on Sunday, re-nominating Chief Minister Atishi from her Kalkaji constituency and Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi seat.

The party has now announced a total of 70 candidates even before the official declaration of Assembly poll dates, providing its candidates nearly two months for campaigning.

In a notable change, controversial Uttam Nagar legislator Naresh Balyan, who was arrested in a purported extortion case, has been succeeded by his wife Pooja Naresh Balyan.

The AAP has reaffirmed its support for Mehrauli legislator Naresh Yadav, who faced backlash from Opposition parties following his conviction in a Quran sacrilege case in Punjab.

Additionally, the party has retained several MLAs who have been embroiled in controversies over the past five years. Satyendra Kumar Jain, who was imprisoned in a money laundering case, and Amanatullah Khan, implicated in a case regarding alleged Waqf Board irregularities, have been re-nominated from Shakur Basti and Okhla, respectively.

A surprising addition to the list is Ramesh Pahelwan from Kasturba Nagar, who replaces three-time sitting legislator Madan Lal. Pahelwan has made a comeback to the party after departing in 2013, just hours before this final candidate list was released.

The list, presented by AAP National General Secretary Sandeep Pathak, reflects the party's confidence in the performance of over three dozen sitting legislators who have been granted tickets once again.

Minister Gopal Rai will contest from Babarpur, and his Cabinet colleague Saurabh Bhardwaj will aim for victory from Greater Kailash.

The son of former MP Mahabal Mishra, Vinay Mishra, has been reinstated from Dwarka. Former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti is also set to compete again from Malviya Nagar.

Other notable candidates include: Sanjeev Jha from Burari, Ajesh Yadav from Badli, Mohinder Goyal from Rithala, Jai Bhagwan from Bawana, Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat from Sultan Pur Majra, Raghuvinder Shokeen from Nangloi Jat, Bandana Kumari from Shalimar Bagh, Preeti Tomar from Tri Nagar, Rajesh Gupta from Wazirpur, Akhilesh Pati Tripathi from Model Town, Som Dutt from Sadar Bazar, Shoaib Iqbal from Matia Mahal, and Imran Hussain from Ballimaran.

Furthermore, the list includes Vishesh Ravi from Karol Bagh, Shiv Charan Goel from Moti Nagar, Dhanwati Chandela from Rajouri Garden, Raj Kumari Dhillon from Hari Nagar, Jarnail Singh from Tilak Nagar, Mahinder Yadav from Vikaspuri, Virender Singh Kadian from Delhi Cantonment, Durgesh Pathak from Rajinder Nagar, Pramila Tokas from R.K. Puram, Ajay Dutt from Ambedkar Nagar, Dinesh Mohaniya from Sangam Vihar, Sahi Ram from Tughlakabad, Kuldeep Kumar from Kondli, and Surendra Kumar from Gokalpur.