The State screening committee of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has shortlisted 200 candidates for 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka. The fledgling party’s central screening committee will select the final 14 from among the lot. 

The 200 candidates have been shortlisted on the basis of the criteria laid down by the party for preliminary entries, member of the State screening committee, Siddhartha, said.

“The final list is expected to be finalised in two or three days,” he added. While the AAP wishes to field candidates in all the 28 constituencies in the State, the first list will focus on seats from where the party is ready to contest. 

It will invite “clean” corporate leaders and High Net-worth Individuals to a dinner with its national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, in the City on March 15 to raise funds for the party.

V Balakrishnan, member of the AAP’s organisational committee and former board member of Infosys, is said to be the brain behind the idea and is working to woo leaders of the Information Technology (IT) industry.

Kejriwal will undertake road shows in Bangalore on March 15 and in Chikkaballapur the next day. He will also attend a public meeting at the Freedom Park. 

Earlier at a press conference, AAP attacked both the Congress and the BJP for scams in the BDA. AAP member, Ravi Kumar Reddy, said that during the BJP regime, the BDA “illegally” hiked the tender value of the New Puttanna Kanagal Theatre project.