Not-so-8216;aam aadmi8217; party: AAP list has crorepatis,others with political links

For the 70 Assembly constituencies,20 candidates have been finalised so far including Kejriwal.

One is an MBBS graduate who now runs a milk business,another a crorepati farmer,and then there is Manish Sisodia who claims to not know the value of his flat in Vasundhara Enclave,on the Delhi-Noida border. The first two lists of candidates for the Delhi Assembly elections released by Arvind Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party are high on variety and,surprisingly for its genesis as a party raging against big money,full of crorepatis.

If there is one thing that is supposedly common to them,it is the presumption that they have read Kejriwals book Swaraj. Thats one of the questions ticket-seekers are asked in their nomination forms,along with what they think of the book.

Apart from that,the AAP selection process is two tier. First the partys own leaders scrutinise the applicants. Details of the shortlisted candidates are then uploaded on the AAP website. Based on the feedback from voters,the final candidate is selected,said insiders.

For the 70 Assembly constituencies,20 candidates have been finalised so far including Kejriwal,Sisodia,Gopal Rai and Shazia Ilmi. Ten other names have been shortlisted.

Kejriwal is among those with assets more than a crore,with a flat worth Rs 1 crore in Gurgaon and a Rs 70-lakh plot in Ghaziabads Indirapuram. Kejriwal lives in a government accommodation in Kaushambi in Ghaziabad allotted in his wifes name. However,for poll purposes,he has given his address as F-Block,Sundar Nagari,as it is imperative for any person fighting an Assembly election in Delhi to be a registered voter of the state. Kejriwal has said he would contest from whichever seat Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit decides to fight from.

Sisodia whose name has been finalised from Patpargunj in East Delhi mentions two flats one in Ghaziabad and one in Delhi. However,he has not declared their current market value,putting a ? under that head.

Gulab Singh,the putative candidate from Matiala,is among the richest AAP picks so far,with assets worth approximately Rs 7.5 crore.

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Gajanand,who will fly the AAP flag in Bawana,is a close second with eight plots and three cars among his total assets of Rs 5.96 crore. Gajanands declared annual income is a little over Rs 4 lakh and he has a family of eight,including four children. He has also been a Congress worker for 10 years.

He is not alone to have links with other political parties a phenomenon the high-minded agitation that preceded the AAP would surely have frowned upon. Dr Jayprakash Lohia,a medical graduate who now manages his milk business,is one of the shortlisted candidates from Rajouri Garden. He fought the 2012 MCD elections on an NCP ticket and makes no bones about ditching the AAP and contesting as an Independent should he not get a ticket. His declared assets amount to nearly Rs 5.5 crore on an annual income of Rs 5.28 lakh.

Kapil Mishra,one of the three shortlisted candidates from Karawal Nagar,belongs to a family with strong BJP connections. His mother is a sitting MCD councillor from the party and his wife fought college union elections on an ABVP ticket. Both Kapil and his father are associated with Ramdevs Bharat Swabhimaan. Ramdev has never hid his leanings towards the saffron front and has said that BJP stalwart Narendra Modi is the man capable of leading India.

Baljeet Singh Mann,one of the hopefuls from Narela,was earlier a BJP functionary. His candidature has invited some serious adverse comments,including charges of having lied about his involvement in the Jan Lokpal agitation.

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AAP workers are not happy about some other shortlisted candidates as well. Such as Mohammed Salim,one of those in the running for a ticket from Timarpur. So you are a Class VII pass and want to go to the Assembly. Have you read Swaraj? Do you remember Jana Gana Mana? comments a derisive netizen about him on the AAP website.