AAP releases second and third lists for Haryana polls, names 20 candidates

The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday released its second and third list of 20 candidates for the Haryana assembly polls, fielding former minister Chhatar Pal Singh from Barwala, a day after he switched over from the BJP.

The party's first list of 20 candidates was released on Monday after seat-sharing talks with the Congress dragged on for days without much headway.

On Tuesday, the party first released a list of nine candidates and followed it up with declaring the names of 11 more late in the night. The name of Haryana AAP president Sushil Gupta was missing from both lists.

In its third list, the AAP fielded Pravin Guskhani against former Haryana chief minister and Congress veteran Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla Kiloi constituency.

The others on the list include Bheem Singh Rathi from Radaur, Amar Singh from Nilokheri, Amit Kumar from Israna, Rajesh Saroha from Rai, Manjeet Farmana from Kharkhauda, Naresh Bagri from Kalanaur, Mahender Dahiya from Jhajjar, Suneel Rao from Ateli, Satish Yadav from Rewari, and Rajendra Rawat from Hathin.

In its second list, the AAP announced that Rita Bamaniya will contest from Sadhaura, Kishan Bajaj from Thanesar, and Hawa Singh from Indri.

The party has fielded Mukhtiyar Singh Bazigar from Ratia, Bhupendra Beniwal from Adampur, and Chhatar Pal Singh from Barwala. Jawahar Lal will contest from Bawal, Pravesh Mehta from Faridabad and Abash Chandela from Tigaon, according to the list.

The party said in a statement that former minister Chhatar Pal Singh, who has been fielded from Barwala, quit the BJP on Monday to join the AAP.

The AAP released its first list of 20 candidates on Monday, deciding to go solo in the polls after it could not arrive at a mutually acceptable seat-sharing formula with the Congress.

The nomination window for the polls closes on September 12. The 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on October 5.

On the issue of an alliance with the Congress, AAP Haryana chief Gupta on Monday said, "I want to say it very clearly that we have been preparing for all the 90 seats since day one. There is not much time left for the polls, the last date for filing nominations is September 12. So the wait is over."

Another AAP leader, Sanjay Singh, had said the party will fight the Haryana polls with full strength.

On Monday, Gupta had said that the AAP would release the names of its candidates on all 90 seats if the Congress failed to seal the deal by evening. The talks between the two parties were stuck up over the number of seats to be contested by the AAP.

According to sources, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party was demanding 10 seats, while the Congress had offered it only five.

The Congress and the AAP had fought the Lok Sabha polls together in Delhi while they had contested the election separately in Punjab.

In the LS general election, the Congress had given one seat to the AAP in Haryana, which it had contested unsuccessfully.