With just three days left for filing nominations and despite the uncertainty still looming over an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, the Congress party is likely to release its candidate list for the capital on Sunday.

Senior party leaders said that the party is yet to hear anything from Aam Aadmi Party on sealing an alliance in the capital, and that it could not wait any longer.

All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) Delhi in-charge PC Chacko on Saturday said that the party has finalised on the names of its candidates and a formal announcement is likely to be made by Sunday.

“We will probably make a formal announcement on our candidate list by Sunday,” Chacko said on Saturday.

Senior party leaders involved in screening of candidates for the upcoming parliamentary polls in the capital said that there have been some tweaks in a few constituencies in the first list approved by the chief election committee (CEC) of the party.

The new list will see former MP and former Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken contesting from New Delhi, former MP JP Agarwal from North-East Delhi, three-time chief minister Sheila Dikshit from Chandni Chowk, Delhi Congress working president Rajesh Lilothia from North-West Delhi (reserved seat), Olympic silver medallist Sushil Kumar from West Delhi, senior leader Ramesh Kumar from South Delhi and former member of legislative assembly (Deoli) and former Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely from east Delhi, said party leaders.

In an earlier meeting of the CEC, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had approved names of four of the seven constituencies.

The earlier list had five-time legislator from Mangolpuri Raj Kumar Chauhan contesting from North-West Delhi, Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal from Chandni Chowk and Mahabal Mishra from West Delhi. Sheila Dikshit too was fielded from East Delhi then, while Sushil Kumar was being pushed for South Delhi.

“Sibal ji is a Rajya Sabha member. Sheila ji showed interest from Chandni Chowk, so the obvious choice was Arvinder Singh Lovely, since he knows east Delhi better than anyone else,” a senior Congress party leader said.

When asked for a confirmation about her candidature from Chandni Chowk, Sheila Dikshit said that she will follow the party’s command. “If I should contest and from where I should contest is a call that the party will take and I will follow their orders,” Sheila Dikshit said.

First Published: Apr 21, 2019 08:34 IST