AAP to contest 35 seats

Shillong, January 8 (PTI): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today said it will contest at least 35 seats in the Meghalaya Assembly elections.   Elections to the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly are due in the first half of this year as the term of the present Assembly expires on March 6.   "We are hoping to field 35 candidates for the next election as we have good chance of winning," AAP state president Wanshwa Nongtdu told reporters here.   He claimed the chances of the AAP is "good".   The AAP leader also exuded confidence that the party will form the next government by fielding "common man" as its candidates.   "We are Aam aadmi and we will have common man as candidates, we have few retired officers, few intellectuals who want to contest and we prefer our candidates be to be AAP candidates," he said.   Declaring the first list of candidates, Nongtdu said Peter Aiborlang Dohkrud will contest from Mawlai, Dorass Ramsiej from Mawkyrwat, Wonder Lapang will take on Congress president Celestine Lyngdoh from Umsning constituency in Ri-Bhoi and Debrict Binone from Nongpoh.   According to the AAP leader, the candidates have been approved by AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and party observer for North East, Rakesh Sinha.