The Aam Aadmi Party announced three candidates, including ex-Director-General of Police, Himachal Pradesh, for the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Haryana on Sunday.
AAP is contesting election in the State in alliance with Jannayak Janta Party, which will contest the remaining seven seats.
AAP has fielded its Haryana unit chief Naveen Jaihind from Faridabad, 1987-batch IPS officer Prithvi Raj from Ambala and advocate Krishan Kumar Agarwal from Karnal.
The announcement was made by AAP Haryana in-charge Gopal Rai at a joint press conference with JJP leader Dushyant Chautala in Delhi.
For Dalit upliftment
Born in a Dalit family in Haryana’s Jagadhari, Mr. Raj has been DGP (Himachal Pradesh) for six months before he retired in July, 2017. He has been involved in social works and Dalit upliftment activities since his college days.
Mr. Agarwal, a practising lawyer at Panipat District and Sessions Court, has been the part of Jan Lok Pal movement. He is also the national vice-president of Akhil Bharatiya Agrawal Sammelan.
Mr. Jaihind, a former student leader, has been working with AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal since 2007.
Replying to a question on alliance with the Congress, Mr. Rai said AAP had agreed to the Congress’ formula for Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh but the Congress backed out at the last moment.
“Congress seems to be acting against the interests of the Opposition and indirectly helping the BJP. We will expose Congress and defeat BJP in Delhi and Haryana,” said Mr. Rai, ruling out any possibility of an alliance with the party.
Six to file papers today
He said all the six candidates of AAP in Delhi would file their nominations on Monday. The party’s West Delhi candidate Balbir Singh Jakhar has already filed his nomination.
Mr. Rai said the Congress had offered two seats to JJP and one seat to AAP in Haryana as its formula for alliance but went back on its own words.
The JJP has announced four of its seven candidates and is expected to make public the remaining names on Monday.
Sources in the JJP said the party leaders were waiting for the Congress to declare its candidates before making the announcement. Both AAP and JJP will also organise two mega roadshows in Haryana along National Highway-44 and National Highway-9.
Meanwhile, the Congress party on Sunday announced names of five candidates for the Lok Sabha election in Haryana.
Hooda among five
The party’s Central Election Committee has cleared the names, which includes former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda as its candidate from Sonipat parliamentary seat. The Congress has changed its candidate from Faridabad constituency by deciding to field former MP Avtar Singh Bhadan replacing Lalit Nagar.
From Kurukshetra parliamentary constituency, the party has decided to field Nirmal Singh while Kuldeep Sharma, former Assembly Speaker, will contest from Karnal. Bhavya Bishnoi son of former MP Kuldeep Bishnoi is party’s candidate from Hisar seat.
