Soni Sori, Shazia Ilmi in AAP's sixth list of candidates

Tribal activist Soni Sori will be the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Bastar in Chattisgarh and senior leader Shazia Ilmi will contest from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh as the party today released its sixth list of candidates for 55 Lok Sabha seats.

The list includes seats in 13 states and three union territories.

The party declared candidates for Northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur- one each for the four states-, two each in Kerela and Goa, one each in Union Territories of Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Andaman and Nicobar islands, three each in Uttarakhand and Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh (10), Odisha (10), Rajasthan (5), Madhya Pradesh (7), Maharashtra (6).

With this list, the total number of candidates declared by the AAP so far has gone up to 242.

Sori, who will enter the electoral fray from Bastar, was granted bail by the Supreme Court last month in a case lodged against her for allegedly receiving money from Essar Group on behalf of Maoists.

The 36-year-old Sori and her activist-nephew Kodopi (25) were arrested on charges of acting as Maoist conduits who had allegedly received protection money for the rebels from Essar Group in Chhattisgarh.

Sources said that AAP leader Prashant Bhushan had approached Sori to contest on behalf of the party from Bastar constituency from where she hails.

Ilmi will contest from Ghaziabad although the party initially wanted her to take on Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Rae Baireli but she declined to do so. She was reportedly unhappy that she was not considered for New Delhi seat, prompting the party to give her Ghaziabad constituency.

Although the seat does not fall in Delhi, it is in NCR where AAP enjoys support. The seat is currently represented by BJP National President Rajnath Singh.

Former IPS officer Kanchan Choudhary Bhattacharya, first woman DGP of any state will contest from Haridwar in Uttarkhand on AAP ticket.