NEW DELHI: In a tactical shift, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to announce its first list of candidates by January 14, closer to the Assembly elections on February 8.
The strategy marks a significant departure from the earlier practice, which was to announce the candidates well ahead of the poll dates so that they could have more time to reach out to the people and give themselves the best chance of currying favour with voters.
The party’s highest decision-making body — Political Affairs Committee (PAC) — is currently holding discussions on the list of probables for tickets. “We’ll focus on the three Cs — Corruption, Criminal and Character — while deciding the candidates,” a senior AAP office-bearer said.
Ahead of the 2015 Assembly elections, the AAP had named its candidates well before the poll dates were announced.
The same tactic was at play in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, with the focus firmly on giving ample days to the nominees to reach out to the maximum number of voters before filing nomination.
The process of notifying the Assembly elections will commence from January 14, which is also when the process of filing nomination will start.
Party supremo and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to seek a fresh mandate from the New Delhi Assembly constituency. He first contested the seat in 2013 against former CM Sheila Dikshit and won. While Delhi voted for the Lok Sabha on May 12 last year, the AAP announced 6 of its 7 nominees on March 2, more than a month ahead of the date when the process of filing nomination started.