MCD polls: Swaraj India releases first list of 25 candidates

Swaraj India, a Yogendra Yadav-led party, today announced its first list of 25 candidates for the upcoming municipal polls in the city, with the women and youth getting a major chunk.
The party also skipped the process of choosing candidates on the lines of the US primaries, saying the method was not pragmatic.
"We have given priority to the women and the youth while selecting the candidates. Of the 25 candidates declared today, 11 are women and among them, two have been fielded from general seat, which is not reserved for women.
"Seven candidates are below the age of 35," Swaraj India's general secretary Ajit Jha said.

The candidates, announced by the party, have a varied educational background from an eight-standard pass to a dentist.
Swaraj India spokesperson Anupam said that the candidates were chosen without comprimising on three Cs - corruption, crime and character.

Among the candidates, some had participated in the anti- graft movement by Anna Hazare, while others are former members of the AAP, Congress or BJP. Kalpana Jha, an independent councillor from Sangam Vihar, has also been fielded from the same ward.
Of the 25 candidates, 10 would be contesting from wards in North MCD, 12 from South MCD and three from the East MCD wards.

Swaraj Abhiyan, the ideologcial parent of Swaraj India, had backed a candidate in bypoll held last year after undertaking a process involving people participation, similar to one followed in the US primaries.
However, the party chose not to use the method to select candidates this time.
"Some 5,000 people registered to be a part of the candidate selection process. Around 1,000 voted for the candidate. But in actual polls, the candidates got only 289 votes. So, we think process is not pragmatic," Jha said.
Formed on October 2016, Swaraj India plans to field candidates on all 272 wards for the MCD polls, which is likely to be held in April this year.