The shortlisted candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state are becoming hot topics of discussion in the virtual world.
Two links to the list have been shared by thousands of net users through the official Facebook page of the party. Over 500 people have commented on the list. The comments sweep across a wide range of tones, from showering praise to calling the whole process a sham. The party released the names of the shortlisted candidates for Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Chalakkudy, Thrissur and Mavelikkara constituencies on Tuesday. Writer Sara Joseph has been shortlisted for Thrissur, retired district judge N Sadanandan for Mavelikkara and anti-endosulfan activist Kunjikrishnan for Kasargod. Ajit Joy, a Harvard law graduate has been chosen for the Thiruvananthapuram constituency. He was an IPS officer from 1992 to 2004 before moving to the United Nations where he worked as an officer on drugs and crime and as a project coordinator on anticorruption, anti humantrafficking and victim support. Human rights activist advocate Anil Aickara, who was in the forefront of the Mullaperiyar agitation, has been chosen to contest from the Kottayam seat. Other candidates from the constituency are Advocate Santhosh Kumar and Advocate Ubaideth. Palliative care volunteer K M Nooruddin and independent politician K A Hamza have been shortlisted for the Chalakkudy constituency. The party is expected to come up with names of its candidates in other constituencies soon.