Can Sheila redeem Cong losses this time?

It is going to be a 'battle royale' in North East Delhi where three-time Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is seeking people's approval after her return to active politics to lead Congress in the national capital.

The 81-year-old veteran, whose was initially reluctant to contest but came on board after party chief Rahul Gandhi's insistence, is pitted against sitting MP and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari (47), a Bhojpuri actor, AAP's Dilip Pandey (38), who joined the anti-corruption movement that translated into a party after quitting his job in Hong Kong.

Dikshit's entry has changed the dynamics of the electoral battle in the seat where Tiwari is seeking a second term on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma while Pandey is banking on AAP government's work and demand for full statehood.

One of the most under-developed regions in the capital, the voters in the constituency complain about the leaders who represented them, including Tiwari.

A Dikshit victory would boost Congress, which scored a zero in both 2014 Lok Sabha elections and 2015 Assembly polls, in the state polls early next year. It would also redeem Dikshit as she had presided over the electoral collapse of Congress in the capital during Arvind Kejriwal's juggernaut.

For Dikshit, her tenure as Chief Minister is still an advantage as people talk about her work and experience she would bring in if she is elected. Congress also hopes that her candidature would send a positive signal to Muslims and Dalits, who constitute around 36-38% of the voters.

The battle, basically, is for the 22-23% Muslim votes, highest concentration in a single seat in the capital, and 14-16% Dalit votes.

While there is still some confusion among Muslims and Dalits about whom to choose between Dikshit and Pandey, a section of locals say those they could choose one of them and vote en masse to ensure BJP's defeat.

However, AAP is upping the ante pointing out that it was Dikshit who was against the alliance between both the parties and Pandey's victory is essential for the fight for full statehood for Delhi.

For Pandey and Dikshit, a split in anti-BJP votes would mean Tiwari scraping through and the problem is compounded for both as elders are inclined to the veteran Congress leader while the younger are supporting the AAP rookie.

Dikshit is undoubtedly Congress' most winnable candidate this election and the party has not left any stone unturned in her campaign. If Rahul insisted that she will have to fight the election, his sister and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held a road show for Dikshit in the constituency on Wednesday.

Tiwari, who thanked Dikshit for making the contest “interesting” by entering the fight, has to defend his work for the past five years and counter both Dikshit and Pandey campaign. Last time, Tiwari had defeated AAP's Anand Kumar while Congress' J P Aggarwal, who is fielded from Chandni Chowk this time, was a distant third though he was the sitting MP.

There are murmurs about his performance but BJP believes he will be able to pull it off at the end using Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma. He is also seeking votes for another five year to fulfil certain projects he has initiated.

Pandey's campaign theme is that both Congress and BJP could not do much despite being in power and highlights AAP government's performance while amplifying that Delhi's woes are basically because it does not have full powers.

2014 Elections

Manoj Tiwari (BJP) – 5.96 lakh

Anand Kumar (AAP) – 4.52 lakh

J P Aggarwal (Congress) – 2.14 lakh

Margin – 1.4 lakh

2019 Elections

Voters – 22.90 lakh

Sheila Dikshit (Congress)

Manoj Tiwari (BJP)

Dilip Pandey (AAP)