Kejriwal slams BJP for ‘no CM face’ after AAP releases its final candidates’ list for Delhi polls

New Delhi, Dec 15 (PTI) After AAP on Sunday released its final list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Delhi, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal took a swipe at the BJP, claiming that the saffron party has no chief ministerial face.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday released its final list of 38 candidates for the Assembly polls due in February, fielding Kejriwal from New Delhi besides repeating Chief Minister Atishi from Kalkaji.

In a post on X in Hindi, Kejriwal said, “The party is contesting the elections with full confidence and full preparation. BJP is missing. They have no CM face, no team, no planning, and no vision for Delhi. They have only one slogan, only one policy, and only one mission — ‘Remove Kejriwal’. Ask them what they did in five years, and they reply, ‘Kejriwal ko bahut gaali di’ (cursed Kejriwal a lot).”

“Our party has a vision and a plan for Delhi’s development, along with a strong team of educated individuals to implement it with a long list of achievements over the last 10 years,” he added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is yet to announce its candidates, is reportedly planning to pitch Parvesh Verma, son of former Delhi Chief Minister late Sahib Singh Verma, against Kejriwal in New Delhi.

The Congress, meanwhile, has announced 21 candidates, including Sandeep Dikshit, son of ex-Chief Minister late Sheila Dikshit, who will challenge Kejriwal in New Delhi.

Kejriwal has on multiple occasions ruled out any alliance with Congress, despite both parties being part of the INDIA bloc.

In its bid for a third consecutive term in power in the national capital, AAP has nominated its senior leaders from their own constituencies.

Accordingly, Environment Minister Gopal Rai will contest from Babarpur, Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj from Greater Kailash, and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain from Shakur Basti.

Additionally, ministers Raghuvinder Shokeen and Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat will contest the polls from Nangloi Jat and Sultanpur Majra, respectively.

Other candidates in AAP’s list include Sanjeev Jha from Burari, Ajesh Yadav from Badli, and Durgesh Pathak from Rajinder Nagar. The party has fielded Amanatullah Khan from Okhla and Somnath Bharti from Malviya Nagar.

Taking to X, Atishi said, “Thanks to the party leadership and Arvind Kejriwal ji for once again showing faith in me by making me the Aam Aadmi Party Assembly candidate from Kalkaji.”

“This is a matter of pride for me, and I will fulfil this responsibility with full loyalty and dedication,” she added.

As per a list issued earlier, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has been moved to Jangpura, with newcomer Avadh Ojha contesting from Sisodia’s previous seat, Patparganj.

Congress has fielded Anil Kumar from Patparganj.

“With the announcement of candidates for all 70 seats, the Aam Aadmi Party has entered the elections with full force. Under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, we are reaching out to the people, asking for five more years to further the progress made in education, healthcare, electricity, and water,” Sisodia said in a post on X.

Now with AAP having announced candidates for all 70 seats, the party has dropped 16 sitting MLAs and replaced three MLAs by family members, besides swapping two seats.

Overall, AAP has fielded 10 turncoats — seven from BJP and three from Congress.

In the 2020 elections, AAP secured 62 of the 70 seats in Delhi, solidifying its dominance in the capital’s politics as BJP won eight seats and Congress drew a blank.

The elections come as a crucial test for AAP’s governance model. While the BJP seeks to end its 25-year absence from power in Delhi, Congress is working to regain relevance in the city’s political landscape.