AAP's Arvind Kejriwal (L); BJP's Parvesh Verma (C); Congress' Sandeep Dikshit (R).
Credit: PTI Photos
New Delhi: Even the fiercest electoral battles in New Delhi are usually fought in sobriety but not this time in the constituency where President Droupadi Murmu, top leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and senior bureaucrats vote.
Campaign vehicles have been damaged, cash and goodies distributed, allegations of electoral roll manipulation raised, drowning rival’s effigy in Yamuna, stone pelted at a candidate’s car and candidates attacking each other with acidic tongue – the constituency has been all of it in Delhi polls.
Former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is seeking another term from the seat, which he won for the first time in 2013, then a fledgling politician, by defeating Congress icon Sheila Dikshit. He won the 2015 and 2020 polls with ease but this time, his opponents believe he has a fight on hand.
Kejriwal, who resigned as Chief Minister in a political move after getting bail in a liquor scam case, is taking on Sahib Singh Verma’s son Parvesh Verma fielded by BJP and Sheila’s son Sandeep Dikshit by Congress.
The AAP chief has pitted it as a fight between an ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) against the sons of two former Chief Ministers. The constituency does not house just VIPs but slum dwellers and a large number of people that form the middle-class.
Choice of Verma and Dikshit as candidates by their respective parties show that they are not willing to give Kejriwal an easy walkover. The message sent to voters is clear that they are in the game for a purpose and that is to unseat the AAP from the political pole position in Delhi.
Both Verma and Dikshit leave no opportunity to attack Kejriwal. Verma has alleged that Kejriwal’s car had run over three BJP supporters while he drowned his rival’s cut-out in Yamuna when the AAP chief raised allegations on Yamuna cleaning.
“Kejriwal used to falsely talk about 360 pages of proof against Sheila Dikshit. When asked about it in a podcast, he evaded answers,” Dikshit said.
Both the candidates also project Kejriwal as corrupt citing the liquor scam case and ‘Sheesh Mahal’.
Verma, on his part, faced allegations of distributing cash, bed sheets, blankets and shoes to bribe voters, which Kejriwal and AAP said were caught on camera. His supporters, with alleged criminal background, had pelted stones at his car, AAP returned fire.
Kejriwal also levelled allegations of large-scale irregularities in voters list through illegal additions and deletions of names. He cited applications of 32 people giving Verma’s address for adding names in voters’ lists.
The AAP chief is leaving no stone unturned. He regularly meets voters in the New Delhi seat, reminding them how he worked for their benefit. He has already announced promises for those working as house help among others.
The contest raises questions for Kejriwal as well as his rival parties – will Kejriwal have the last laugh not just in his seat but the entire Delhi? Can Verma be able to add more votes to the captive BJP votes to upset AAP? Will Dikshit avenge the defeat of his mother 12 years ago?
2020 Battle
Arvind Kejriwal (AAP) – 46,758 – 61.1%
Sunil Kumar Yadav (BJP) – 25,061 – 32.75%
Romesh Sabharwal (Congress) – 3,220 – 4.21%
2025 Voters
Male: 58,381
Female: 50,192
Third Gender: 1
Total: 1,08,574
Delhi Assembly Election 2025 | The first of two state assembly polls this year sees a three-way contest between AAP, Congress, and BJP in the nation's capital. AAP decided to contest the polls alone, causing rumours of a rift in I.N.D.I.A. BJP, meanwhile, is hoping the liquor excise policy scam and pollution in Delhi will give the saffron party an edge over AAP. Kejriwal, on the other hand, has different plans with his demand for reservations for Delhi Jats. Congress will also be looking to make its presence felt and has not held back from attacking its own alliance partner. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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