AAP releases list of 20 candidates for UP assembly elections

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday released its seventh list of candidates for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh announced on Twitter the list of candidates selected by the party.

Lucknow:The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday released its seventh list of candidates for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh announced on Twitter the list of candidates selected by AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Singh, in his tweet, highlighted the number of candidates in the list who pursued higher education. "National Convenor @ArvindKejriwal ji and the central leadership gave their approval on the names of 20 more candidates. Graduate:07, Post Graduate:05, Doctor: 02, LLB:02, PhD:01. So far in UP @AamAadmiParty has declared 324 candidates. Many congratulations to all my friends", the tweet read.

"Aam Aadmi Party has fielded more educated and qualified candidates compared to other parties in the electoral fray. Arvind Kejriwal ensures prosperity for all sections, which is why the candidates should take his promises to the public. AAP fights on issues, unlike others, who focus on agendas such as religion, caste and polarization," the MP said, adding that the voters should help AAP sweep away the traditional political equations in the state.

AAP's development-based strategy comes in the backdrop of both the BJP and SP basing their candidate lists on minute caste-religion equations in various parts of Uttar Pradesh. While both parties have mentioned development heavily in their manifestoes, an influx of OBC candidates from BJP into SP, and the latter party aiming to make up by heavily fielding OBC candidates of their own, underlines the caste-class based voting patterns in the state.

Aam Aadmi Party's manifesto, on the other hand, largely replaces the identity politics tropes by including promises such as 300 units of free electricity, establishing community clinics in a fashion similar to Delhi, compensation to families of both soldiers and frontline workers. A significant addition to this list was the waiving off of all loans for farmers and bringing in the MSP (Minimum Support Price) for farm produce.