For 23 new AAP recruits, it is a uphill battle

NEW DELHI : As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) continues to campaign with its sole poll plank of development, the challenge can be one notch higher for its new r e c r ui t s who have j o i ned from other parties and would be contesting t he February 8 assembly polls in Delhi on AAP ticket.

Of the 23 news names in the AAP’S candidates list, eight are those who have migrated from other political parties in the last six months – some of them are prominent names and former MLAS.

“That can be a challenge but it is achievable,” said Prahlad

Singh Sawhney, the AAP’S candidate from Chandni Chowk. Sawhney is a four-time MLA and was a popular leader of the Congress.

“The party (Congress) I was with was hardly doing anything for prominent leaders who could contribute. On the other hand, the AAP’S MLA (Alka Lamba) in the constituency was hardly doing any work. People can see through such things,” said Sawhney.

Chandni Chowk is likely to witness a switch – Sawhney came from the Congress and got an AAP ticket, rebel AAP MLA Lamba went to the Congress and, according to senior functionaries in the party, is most likely to get a ticket from the same constituency.

Vinay Mishra, the AAP candidate from Dwarka, is the son of former Congress MP from West Delhi, Mahabal Mishra. Vinay said, “I switched party with the consent of a large number of voters in my constituency.”

“Dwarka needs development in the areas of education, healthcare and water access. In my case, people suggested that I should go to AAP. I followed. If elected, I will not disappoint,” said Mishra.

Five-time MLA Shoaib Iqbal too is an experienced politician and has contested elections under different political parties. He represented three different parties in the Delhi Assembly at various points between 1993 and 2013.

Iqbal has contested both assembly and Lok Sabha elections on the tickets of the Congress, Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) and the three avatars of the Janata Dal - Janata Dal, Janata

Dal (Secular) and Janata Dal (United).

“I will be taking the AAP’S message of development from door-to-door and I have full confidence that they will support me,” said Iqbal, the AAP’S candidate from Old Delhi’s Matia Mahal constituency.

Among the new recruits from other parties, Iqbal was a hard critic of Delhi’s chief minister Kejriwal.

“This is no time to talk about the past,” he said about his past political disposition.

“Right now, people are only talking about development. In Matia Mahal, a lot of work has to be done to provide solution to regular traffic congestion and sewer have to be repaired.”

OF THE 23 NEWS NAMES IN THE AAP CANDIDATES LIST, EIGHT ARE THOSE WHO HAVE MIGRATED FROM OTHER POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS-- SOME OF THEM ARE PROMINENT NAMES AND EX-MLAS