NEW DELHI: India’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP, Common Man's Party) announced a list of 20 candidates on Sunday for the Lok Sabha polls, each contestant handpicked for honesty and public service, and each targeting major quarries, including Congress scion Rahul Gandhi.

Former banker Meera Sanyal and renowned social activist Medha Patkar will contest from Mumbai.The list, which came two days after AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal quit as Delhi Chief Minister, carries names of candidates from Delhi (2), Uttar Pradesh (7), Maharashtra (6), Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab one each.

AAP has not, however, announced any candidate in Rae Bareli, the pocket borough of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. It is widely believed that Mr Kejriwal would announce his own candidature against BJP's prime minister hopeful Narendra Modi once the latter's constituency is decided.

In a post-resignation interview to a news channel, Mr Kejriwal listed four objectives for AAP candidates. They will take on corruption, communalism, dynastic rule and criminals in politics.

TV journalist-turned-politician Ashutosh will contest from Chandni Chowk seat in Delhi held by Union Minister Kapil Sibal. Lingraj, an activist who took part in the agitation against multinational Posco, will lead AAP's challenge for the Bargarh seat in Odisha.

AAP has given ticket to former scribe Mukul Tripathi for Farukhabad seat in Uttar Pradesh, the constituency of Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid.

Advocate H. S. Phoolka will contest from Ludhiana, currently held by I and B Minister Manish Tewari, while activist Hardev Singh has been given ticket in Mulayam Singh Yadav's stronghold Mainpuri.

AAP has fielded anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania from Nagpur against former BJP National President Nitin Gadkari.

“Our main motto is to send honest people to Parliament. We do not want to send criminals, people with dynastic background. We will soon release the list of candidates for other seats,” senior party leader Manish Sisodia told reporters.

Somendra Dhaka, a peasant leader, will contest from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, a seat represented by Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, Press Trust of India said.

While announcing the first list of candidates, Mr Sisodia said that party leader and founder member Yogendra Yadav will contest from Gurgaon in Haryana. Mr Yadav has also been appointed AAP's Haryana in-charge.

Educationist Khalid Pervez will contest from Moradabad which former cricketer Mohd Azharuddin currently represents in Parliament for the Congress party.

Yogesh Dahiya, a peasant leader from Uttar Pradesh, will be the AAP candidate for Saharanpur. The Saharanpur seat is held by BSP's Jagdish Singh Rana

Another senior party leader, Subhash Ware, will contest from Pune, a seat held by Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi, who is facing corruption charges over alleged graft in the Commonwealth Games.

AAP has given a ticket from Nashik to Vijay Pandhare, a former engineer with the state government who had helped unearth the irrigation scam.

Alok Agarwal, another senior activist of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, will contest from Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, while Habung Pyang, a former Information Commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh, will be the AAP contestant in the northeastern state.