AAP to contest most Lok Sabha seats, list by Feb 15

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced Saturday that it would attempt to contest as many seats as possible for the Lok Sabha elections this year, and a final list of candidates would be released by Feb 15.

AAP leader Prashant Bhushan said the decision was taken at the start of a two-day national executive meeting following the popular response across the country after the AAP took power in Delhi.

"AAP will fight the Lok Sabha elections, contest in the maximum number of states, and in as many seats as possible," Bhushan told reporters in the national capital.

He said the AAP would field candidates wherever "we have a reasonable (party) structure and get good candidates".

Bhushan said once all nomination forms were received from the constituencies, they would be scrutinised by the party's parliamentary committee, and the best candidate would be fielded.

"By Feb 15, the final list of AAP candidates contesting the general elections will be released," he said.

Another AAP leader, Sanjay Singh, said that the decision to enter the Lok Sabha battle had nothing to do with other political parties,

"We have made it clear that we have no alliance with the Congress in Delhi. We are not fighting elections to harm or benefit anyone," he said.

Sanjay Singh added that it made no difference whether the AAP decision harmed or benefited BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi or Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

"This is a initiative to bring the aam aadmi into power, as the other political parties have not shown an interest in working for the common people, despite being elected by them," Singh said.