AAP fields renowned UPSC teacher Avadh Ojha from Patparganj, changes Manish Sisodia’s seat to Jangpura

New Delhi: Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will contest the upcoming Assembly polls from Jangpura and civil services teacher Avadh Ojha is Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate from east Delhi’s Patparganj, currently held by Mr Sisodia.

AAP today released its second list of 20 candidates for the Delhi Assembly polls, due early next year. Last month, it released a list with names of 11 candidates. The ruling party is yet to announce candidates for 39 seats in the 70-member Assembly.

The Jangpura seat has been with AAP since 2013 when former Delhi Assembly Speaker Maninder Singh Dhir won it. When Mr Dhir switched to the BJP, AAP fielded Praveen Kumar who won the seat in the 2015 and the 2020 polls. This time, the party has chosen the seat for Mr Sisodia. The former Deputy Chief Minister, who was arrested in a money laundering case linked to Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy, is out on bail. He has denied the allegations and said he would join the government only after the verdict in the “people’s court”.

Thanking Mr Kejriwal and AAP for the opportunity to contest from Jangpura, Mr Sisodia said Patparganj is the “heart of the education revolution in Delhi”. “When Avadh Ojha joined the party, I felt Patparganj would be the best seat for a teacher,” he said, adding that he was glad to “hand over the responsibility”. “I am now ready to do in Jangpura what I did for education and development in Patparganj. From Patparganj to Jangpura, my pledge is firm: to make Delhi better,” he posted on X.

Praveen Kumar, the current Jangpura MLA, has been accommodated in the Janakpuri seat. 

For Avadh Ojha, who joined the AAP earlier this month, Patparganj is a safe seat. The east Delhi constituency is seen as an AAP stronghold that has been represented by Mr Sisodia since 2013. 

Significantly, none of the sitting MLAs in these 20 seats have been repeated this time. AAP is pushing hard for a fourth term and the move to change sitting MLAs appears to be aimed at countering anti-incumbency or complaints against a specific legislator in his/her constituency.    

Delhi BJP chief Virendraa Sachdeva said that they have got information that many sitting AAP MLAs don’t want to contest the polls because people have decided to vote for change. “(Former) Deputy Chief Minister (Sisodia) has fled, imagine the fear. Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi will flee too,” he said. The names of Mr Kejriwal, who represents New Delhi and Atishi, Chief Minister and MLA from Kalkaji, have not featured in AAP’s two lists. 

Mr Sachdeva said Mr Kejriwal speaks out against dynasty politics. “Yet, two tickets, in Chandni Chowk and Krishna Nagar, have been given to family (members of sitting MLAs).”