NEW DELHI: The Congress has relied on new faces to wrest its lost turf from the ruling AAP in the national capital. In its first list of 54 candidates released on Saturday, the party has nominated at least 40 new faces to take on AAP and BJP, which is also making a desperate attempt to end its political exile of 21 years in the city.
The remaining 14 candidates are party veterans- a former union minister, Delhi ministers, incumbent councillors and at least two former MCD members.
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Former Delhi Congress chief and minister Arvinder Singh Lovely will be contesting from Gandhi Nagar seat, which he had represented four times. Another minister in Sheila Dikshit government and one of the prominent Muslim leaders in the party Haroon Yusuf has been nominated from Ballimaran seat.
However, senior Congress leader AK Walia has given ticket from Krishna Nagar. Former AAP MLA Adarsh Shastri is Congress’ nominee from Dwarka seat, where he would face Vinay Mishra, son of Mahabal Mishra, former Congress MP.
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Other senior leaders — Narendra Nath, Mateen Ahmed, and Devendra Yadav have been nominated again from their traditional seats Shahdara, Seelampur, and Badli respectively. Former union minister Krishna Tirath is candidate from Patel Nagar (reserved) seat. She had switched over to BJP in January 2015 but recently returned to Congress.
Delhi Congress working president Rajesh Lilothia, who unsuccessfully contested from northwest Delhi (reserved) in last Lok Sabha polls against Punjabi Sufi Singer Hans Raj Hans, has been picked for Mangolpuri seat.
Other significance contenders Shivani Chopra, daughter of Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra, who will be challenging AAP heavyweight Atishi in Kalkaji.