Yashwant Sinha likely to contest 2019 polls on AAP ticket, reports say talks are on

Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha are likely to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Aam Aadmi Party tickets, according to reports. 

A senior party leader told news agency PTI that the AAP wants Yashwant Sinha to contest from New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency and talks between the two sides are in an advanced stage, while it wants to field Shatrughan Sinha from West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, but the actor-turned-politician is unwilling to leave his Patna Sahib constituency in Bihar.

Yashwant Sinha, who was a key cabinet member in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP under Amit Shah. The Aam Aadmi Party is of the opinion that Yashwant Sinha's image and him being a former bureaucrat will help him garner significant number of votes from the New Delhi constituency.

"We want Yashwant Sinha ji to contest from New Delhi and talks are progressing in the right direction," the AAP leader said.

The Asian Age reported that the party, however, has not confirmed the names of the two leaders officially. But Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, during the “jan adhikar” rally organised in Noida, had publicly urged Yashwant Sinha to contest the polls and had said Shatrughan Sinha has not “rejected the idea of contesting the polls”.

“A few days ago, Yashwantji had said he will not contest elections. Sir, I want to ask you if good people like you will not contest, then who will? The public wants you to contest,” Mr Kejriwal had said while addressing a rally.

This was not the first time that rebel BJP leaders are seen cosying up with the AAP leaders. Former Union minister Arun Shourie, rebel BJP MP Kirti Azad have been in close touch with the AAP leadership, another party leader claimed.  Yashwant Sinha had last won the 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Hazaribagh constituency in Jharkhand.

Since 2014, the seat is represented by his son Jayant Sinha, who is a minister in the NDA government at the Centre. Of the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital, the AAP has declared constituency in-charge for East Delhi (Atishi Marlena), South Delhi (Raghva Chadha), Chandani Chowk (Pankaj Gupta), Northeast Delhi (Dilip Pandey) and Northwest Delhi (Gugan Singh).

AAP sources said the constituency in-charges will eventually be declared as candidates from respective constituencies. The party intends to field two "outsiders" from these New Delhi and West Delhi Lok Sabha seats.

(With PTI inputs)