Ahmedabad: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday announced its first list of 23 candidates for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation elections, set for Oct 11.The Arvind Kejriwal-led party had won one seat and secured 21% of the votes in the last civic election, its Gujarat unit general secretary Manoj Sorathiya said.The upcoming elections will see a three-cornered fight between the ruling BJP, Congress and AAP for 44 seats.“Those in power have sold off the beauty of Gandhinagar. In the last election, the people of Gandhinagar gave 21% of the votes and elected one AAP candidate. Without falling for greed or temptation, the AAP councillor played the role of a strong opposition for five years,” Sorathiya said.The AAP has emerged as a party of ordinary, educated people and has given tickets to youth, doctors, lawyers and social workers in Gandhinagar, he said.The party also announced its manifesto, promising to make the Gujarat capital a world-class city. “From today itself, the AAP will put all its strength into ensuring that Gandhinagar remains fully developed, and we hope that the youth take charge of the governance of Gandhinagar,” Sorathiya said.Elections to Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation and Okha and Thara municipalities are scheduled to be held on the same day. Counting of votes will take place on Oct 13.The last date for filing nomination papers is Sept 26, while scrutiny of nominations will be carried out on Sept 28. Candidates can withdraw their nominations till Sept 29.
