Cracks in the State unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) became evident as its Malkajgiri Lok Sabha candidate, Chandana Chakrabarti, decided not to contest the elections citing personal reasons. Even as the party was dealing with this sudden jolt, the police had to intervene and convince a section of party members protesting at its headquarters on Tuesday to refrain from creating any trouble.
Damage control modeMeanwhile, the party got into damage control mode and announced the name of N.V. Sudha Kiran as a replacement in Malkajgiri constituency.
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Mr. Kiran, aged 49, is the grandson of the former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and runs a diagnostic centre in the city. Talking about his nomination, Mr. Kiran said, “I have been associated with the AAP since its inception. After I took membership of the party, I began working for it. I did not expect any ticket but the party proposed my name so I am willing to fight the elections.”
Sit-in protestMr. Kiran’s mother, Sharada Devi, is one of the eight children of the former PM. When asked about his decision to associate with AAP in spite of his family’s bond with the Congress, he said that it was an “individual decision”.
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Meanwhile, some volunteers and ticket aspirants continued to stage a sit-in protest at the AAP headquarters raising objections over selection process of the candidates.
“Tickets were given to candidates not remotely associated with the party. People like me, who have been working at the grassroot level for some months, have been ignored. How will the party fare well in the elections if this is the situation,” asked Sunil Reddy, a US returned techie working in the L.B. Nagar constituency.