98% AAP candidates finalised, winnability key factor: Arora

The ruling AAP today claimed that thousands of people were in touch with the party to obtain tickets for the civic body poll scheduled on December 21. AAP is expected to announce its candidates on Wednesday.

“Over 5,000 applications have been scanned by our screening committees, comprising 350 people in the past week,” said AAP state president Aman Arora, adding that they considered only three aspects for selection of candidates — their commitment to AAP, the testament by the screening committees and winnability factor.

With just two days left to file nomination papers, the ruling party has received an average of 10 to 15 applications for each of the 977 wards of the five poll-bound municipal corporations, 44 municipal councils/ nagar panchayat and 49 wards of these urban bodies.

To take away the control of these urban bodies, especially four municipal corporations — Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala (poll for Phagwara due since 2020) — from the Congress, the ruling party titled its campaign “AAP di Sarkar, AAP da MC”.

The terms of the four MCs had ended in early 2023, and the Congress had majority in these.

“Surveys were conducted in all poll- bound wards by the party to assess the problems and as to who is best suited to lead the party. Initially, we selected three prospective candidates and the best among them is being given the ticket,” said Harchand Singh Barsat, general secretary, AAP.

Even as the party top brass, including CM Bhagwant Mann and Arora today chaired a review meeting for the civic poll. A total of 98 per cent of the candidates to be fielded by the party in the 977 wards that go to the poll had been selected, said Arora.