The BJP has released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, announcing nominees for 29 of the 70 seats. These elections are shaping up to be a high-stakes contest between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with polling scheduled for February.
Prominent among the BJP’s candidates is former MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, who will face off against AAP chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency.
“I am grateful to the party leadership for their faith in me. I will work to fulfill the trust placed in me. When Delhi struggled during the COVID-19 crisis, Kejriwal focused on optics rather than action. Under BJP governance, we will address key issues like cleaning the Yamuna and combating pollution,” Verma stated.
In a significant development, Kailash Gehlot, a former Delhi Transport Minister and close ally of Kejriwal, joined the BJP months before the elections. Gehlot will contest from the Bijwasan seat.
Ramesh Bidhuri, previously a BJP MP from South Delhi, has been fielded from the Kalkaji constituency, where he will challenge Delhi Chief Minister Atishi. Notably, Bidhuri was denied a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress has nominated Alka Lamba for the same seat.
Responding to Bidhuri’s candidacy, Atishi remarked, “Ramesh Bidhuri served as an MP for a decade, yet his party didn’t re-nominate him. How can the people of Kalkaji trust his work?”
Bidhuri countered, “I thank the BJP for trusting me to reclaim Kalkaji. Delhi has suffered under Arvind Kejriwal, and Kalkaji has endured the incompetence of AAP.”
Another notable BJP candidate is Arvinder Singh Lovely, a former minister in Sheila Dikshit’s cabinet, who will contest from the Gandhinagar seat after leaving Congress to join the BJP last year.
The Battle Lines
AAP, in power since 2015 with two sweeping Assembly victories, has struggled in Lok Sabha elections, failing to secure a single seat since 2014 while the BJP has dominated all seven.
Congress, once the dominant force in Delhi, has not won a seat in the past two Assembly elections. Despite being allies in the INDIA Opposition bloc, AAP and Congress will contest against each other in Delhi, mirroring their split in Haryana’s elections last year.
In an unexpected twist, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva will not contest the polls, as confirmed by sources.
The stage is set for a fiercely contested election, with all major parties vying for influence in the national capital.
