NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday unfurled its national ambitions, saying it will contest a "maximum number of Lok Sabha seats", but Arvind Kejriwal ruled out contesting within hours of a senior party leader proposing him as an alternative to Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi.

Kejriwal's clarification came even as AAP, encouraged by the response it is receiving in several states, announced that its first list of candidates will be out around January 15-20 and a final list could be ready by mid-February with party leaders saying more than 300 candidates could be fielded.

On Saturday morning, AAP leader Yogendra Yadav pitched for Kejriwal as PM candidate saying the party needs to present a clear alternative to the Congress and BJP leaders. "It is my dream to see Arvind Kejriwal as PM. I think he is capable of leading the country," said Yadav.

Later in the day, the Delhi chief minister side-stepped Yadav's suggestion saying "I am not contesting the Lok Sabha elections. Out of affection for me, Yogendra Yadav has said that."

Seeking to downplay the issue, Kejirwal said "Neither Rahul Gandhi nor Narendra Modi nor Arvind Kejriwal is important. The country's politics is to fight inflation and corruption. People are fed up with these malaises."

Though Kejriwal is clearly AAP's pre-eminent leader, the party does not seem willing to name him formally as PM candidate with another leader Prashant Bhushan telling the media after a meeting of AAP's national executive that a decision will be taken only after the LS polls.

While AAP feels there is a groundswell in its favour, particularly in urban areas, the party seems wary of putting its tallest leader in a situation where his contesting the LS poll is linked to his PM candidature.

 TOI