NEW DELHI: Among 27 new faces chosen by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming Assembly polls in the national capital, at least nine are greenhorns. Rajesh Kumar Bhatia (Adrash Nagar), Ram Charan Chhawaria (Sultanpur Majra- Reserved), Karam Singh Karma (Mangolpuri- Reserved), Parvesh Ratan (Patel Nagar-Reserved), Ajay Mahawar (Ghonda), Vijay Pandit (Palam), Impreet Singh Bakshi (Jangpura), Kaushal Mishra (Seelampur), and Ravi Negi (Patparganj) will be contesting Assembly elections for the first time.
ALSO READ | Delhi Assembly elections: BJP fields first-timer against AAP's Manish Sisodia
The party, which could only win three seats in 2015 elections, has also put faith in six sitting and 13 former members of three MCDs including former four mayors or ex-deputy mayors-Khushi Ram (Ambedkar Nagar-reserved) and Rajkumar Dhillon (Kondli-reserved) to take on the ruling AAP. Former Delhi mayor and deputy (in unified Municipal Corporations) Yogender Chandolia and Master Azad Singh have been fielded from Karol Bagh (reserved) and Mundka seat respectively. Singh is younger brother of former CM Sahib Singh Verma.
ALSO READ | Delhi elections: After BJP releases first list of nominees, AAP asks 'who is CM candidate?'
Ex-mayor of north Delhi Ravinder Gupta is contesting from Matia Mahal. Kiran Vaid, who is in the fray from the Trilokpuri seat, is a councillor in East MCD. She has also served as a deputy mayor of East Delhi. She had unsuccessfully contested the 2015 Assembly polls. Greater Kailash candidate Shikha Rai is the former Leader of the House of South MCD and an ex-chairperson of its Standing Committee. Rekha Gupta, a former councillor and former Delhi BJP general secretary, will contest from Shalimar Bagh.
ALSO READ | Delhi elections: BJP's first list of 57 candidates includes Vijender Singh, Kapil Singh
Lata Sodhi, who has been fielded from Ballimaran, is a former councillor. Though the party has been making efforts to Purvanchali voters in the city, it has only accommodated six candidates belonging to Eastern UP and Bihar. Significantly, former AAP leaders Devinder Kumar Sehrawat, and Guggan Singh, and former MLA of Congress Bhisham Sharma have been ignored in the first list released on Friday.
Who’s your CM candidate, AAP asks BJP
Soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday announced its first list of 57 candidates, the AAP sought to corner it again by asking who its Chief Ministerial candidate was. “Who’s the CM candidate of Delhi BJP?” asked the AAP while posting a meme on its official Twitter handle.