Maharashtra AAP to release first list of Lok Sabha candidates by January 20
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- Parent Category: Political News
- Last Updated: Thursday, 22 January 2015 20:52
AAP to field candidates in all 22 seats from where NCP is likely to contest in Maharashtra:
Mumbai: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday said it will contest in 22 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, pitting itself directly against the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that forms a part of the ruling alliance in the state.
“We will field our candidates in all 22 seats from where NCP is likely to contest in the state,” AAP’s state unit convener Mayank Gandhi said at a press briefing, calling the NCP a corrupt political outfit.
The NCP, as part of a seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress party, will contest in 22 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra. The Congress will contest in the balance 26 seats.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday reiterated he will not contest in the April-May national polls, and will instead stand election for a Rajya Sabha seat. “Even if NCP president Sharad Pawar makes a rethink of his decision of not contesting the Lok Sabha polls, we are ready to fight against him and we have capable candidates on 22 seats,” Gandhi said.
Some key NCP ministers in the Maharashtra cabinet—including deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, water resource minister Sunil Tatkare and public works minister Chhagan Bhujbal—face charges of corruption. Tatkare and higher education minister Rajesh Tope were indicted by a judicial committee led by retired high court judge J.A. Patil for their roles in the Adarsh housing scam.
The party also announced that it would contest the coming Lok Sabha polls in 20 states and is likely to put up its leader Kumar Vishwas against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. National Spokesman Sanjay Singh told reporters in Delhi AAP would field candidates in all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP.News By-'livemint'
Taking a dig at NCP president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's statement that he would not contest Lok Sabha polls and may take Rajya Sabha route, Gandhi said, "It is good he is not contesting, otherwise his fate would have been like Sheila Dixit (former chief minister of Delhi).....We had in fact finalised a very strong candidate for him (Pawar), be it Baramati or Madha or any other place".
While Pawar represents Madha Lok Sabha seat, his daughter Supriya Sule is the MP from the family pocket-borough of Baramati.
Gandhi said the nation had high expectations from AAP post Delhi elections.
"The nation has very high expectation from AAP and this is the major challenge for us. Professionals are quitting their salaried jobs to join us," he added.Sources-'dnaindia'