Much like the past two Assembly elections in 2015 and 2020 where it secured a landslide victory, the AAP has decided to go solo in the Delhi Assembly election 2025, making it a three-way contest against the BJP and Congress.
While AAP has already started its election campaign in the national capital, the party in recent times has welcomed some well-known personalities into its fold. Here’s taking a look at some of them:
- Jitender Singh Shunty
The Padma Shri awardee and social worker joined the AAP on Thursday, December 5. He currently serves as the president of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Foundation and the founder of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Seva Dal, known for cremating unclaimed bodies. Shunty gained significant recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic for his humanitarian efforts in the city.
“We are honoured to have Jitender Singh Shunty join us. His dedication to social service aligns perfectly with AAP’s commitment to serving the people of Delhi,” PTI quoted Kejriwal as saying. Shunty is expected to contest the Shahdara Assembly seat, which he represented as an MLA from the BJP in 2013.
- Pravesh Ratan
Pravesh Ratan, a long-time BJP leader, joined the AAP on Wednesday. He earlier unsuccessfully contested the 2020 Delhi Assembly polls from the Patel Nagar seat. Belonging to the Jatav community, Ratan joined AAP in the presence of Manish Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak.
Ratan’s entry into AAP comes months after former party MLA from Patel Nagar, Raaj Kumar Anand, joined the BJP. Anand earlier resigned as minister in the Delhi government and announced his exit from AAP in April. Later, he was disqualified as an MLA by the Delhi Assembly Speaker.
- Avadh Ojha
Popular as Ojha Sir, the famous civil services coaching teacher and motivational speaker became a member of the AAP on Monday, December 2, in Kejriwal’s presence.
Ojha said that he was aligned with the party’s ideology, and focused on the future of children. “I want to thank Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia for giving me a chance to work in the field of education in politics,” Ojha said.
Interestingly, the AAP recently released its first list comprising 11 candidates for the 2025 Assembly election that featured the names of six leaders, who joined the Kejriwal-led party after leaving the BJP and Congress.
Among these were former BJP leaders Brahm Singh Tanwar from Chhatarpur, Anil Jha from Kirari and BB Tyagi from Laxmi Nagar. Those from the Congress side who switched to AAP were Zubair Chaudhary from Seelampur, Veer Singh Dhingan from Seemapuri and Somesh Shokeen from Matiala.
Voting for the 70-seater Delhi Assembly is expected to take place in February 2025, while the Election Commission is expected to announce the official schedule in the coming weeks.
