AAP takes lead, out with first list of four for Himachal poll

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Shimla, September 20

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the first to get off the block in Himachal Pradesh as it today announced the first list of four candidates for the Assembly elections, slated towards the end of the year.

The list comprises Rajan Sushant from Fatehpur (Kangra district), Manish Thakur Paonta Sahib (Sirmaur), Umakant Dogra Nagrota (Kangra) and Sudershan Jaspa Lahaul-Spiti.

Rajan re-joined AAP recently after quitting the party six years ago. In 2020, he had floated his own outfit, ‘Hamari Party Himachal Party’. With a political career spanning over four decades, mostly with the BJP, Rajan has been a four-term MLA and one-time MP.

Manish, who joined AAP in March, too has significant political experience as he was the Youth Congress national secretary and its state president.

Jaspa is a social worker and remained a zila parishad member from 2015-20. “He joined AAP following the party’s landslide victory in Punjab,” AAP said in a statement.

Umakant too was a social worker and had been raising issues of public interest for long, AAP said in a statement. “Other parties are still trying to figure out their candidates and we have already released the first list,” said AAP spokesperson Gaurav Sharma.

He said AAP was ready to contest all 68 Assembly seats. “The ticket have been given to honest people to form an honest government in the state,” the party said.