AAP to announce candidates for 2017 Punjab polls by June end

Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday said it will announce the names of its all candidates for the Punjab assembly election to be held in early next year by June end.

"The names of all candidates on 117 seats in Punjab will be announced by June end," senior AAP leader and In-charge of Punjab Affairs Sanjay Singh said in Chandigarh yesterday.

"The first list of candidates will be out by May end," he further said adding that the election campaign committee will start its work from April 25.

The party has also constituted a 16-member election campaign committee and 5-member screening committee to find out suitable candidates.

Meetings of AAP volunteers at booth, circle and zonal levels will be held in each assembly constituency and then aspirants who want to contest polls will have to submit their bio-data at party office within three days at Jalandhar, he said.

Election Campaign Committee after short listing probable candidates send their names to the screening committee which will interview them and thereafter, names of shortlisted candidates will be send to political affairs committee of AAP which will take a final call on finalising the names of candidates, Singh said.

AAP leader said that those people who are facing corruption and criminal charges will not be given party ticket for contesting elections.

If it was later found that any candidate had deliberately withheld information about criminal or corruption charges, his candidature will be cancelled, he said.

Mr Singh claimed that AAP would repeat the historic win registered in Delhi poll in Punjab elections.

Party's 16-member election campaign committee will comprise Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Bhawant Mann, Sadhu Singh, Himmat Singh Shergill, Harjot Bains, Baljinder Kaur among others. The five-member screening committee will have Sanjay Singh, Durgesh Pathak, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Bhagwant Mann and Sadhu Singh.

On SAD's accusations of demolition of of 'Piao Sahib' at Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib in Delhi by Kejriwal government, Singh refuted the charge and instead alleged that Piao Sahib was demolished by BJP ruled MCD Delhi and police which is also under Central government. He alleged that SAD was making false allegations against AAP.

On SYL issue, Mr Singh said that the party was with people of Punjab.