Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 | Task cut out for underdogs against the super heavyweights in poll-bound national capaital

New Delhi: Twenty-six independents and candidates from smaller parties polled just 1,096 votes five years ago with none getting more than what NOTA bagged – 395 votes – in the New Delhi constituency from where AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal won with as much as 61.1 per cent votes.

This time, there are 20 candidates, including four women, taking on major players Kejriwal, BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit in the high profile seat. One may tend to dismiss them as attention seekers but they are politically passionate and have a variety of reasons to contest polls.

Some are Kejriwal’s former associates who are upset with AAP deviating from principles, some believe Congress and BJP do not have it in them to fight the former Chief Minister, some are against ‘freebie’ culture while a couple of them see the New Delhi contest giving their parties some visibility.

Take the case of Delhi Janta Party’s Arun Kumar Sharma, who claims to have the support of 80 smaller parties. He is distributing pamphlets highlighting AAP’s alleged corruption to “expose” Kejriwal, who is “making a fool of people” by promising “freebies” like Rs 2,100 for women.

Haryana Janasena Party’s Ravinder Singh Rawat accuses Kejriwal of making voters “habitual to freebies”. He adds, “I am not perfect but I will work hard for people. Education will be a focus area. We need to make government schools at par with those in the private sector.”

There are candidates like Bharatiya Liberal Party’s Dr Munish Kumar Raizada, a former associate of Kejriwal who returned to India from the United States and who is disillusioned with AAP for deviating from the principle of working for a systemic change.

“I figured out that to challenge immorality, we need to nail the kingpin. The great message would be to defeat Kejriwal,” he said.

Jagadish Prasad of Samarth Bharatvarsh Party, too, was associated with AAP but is now disillusioned with Kejriwal. “The fight between the major parties, especially the BJP and AAP, is artificial. They are demeaning Delhiites with freebies,” he said.

Rashtriya Janlok Party’s Mukesh Jain claims BJP and Congress are silent on the “anti-national” activities of Kejriwal but continue to keep silent. Jain alleges that there is no follow up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘naxal’ jibe or Congress’ Ajay Maken’s ‘anti-national’ remark against Kejriwal.

Independent candidate Haider Ali is not impressed by the amount promised by mainstream parties and he promises Rs 5,000 per month for women and LPG cylinders at Rs 500.

However, some others are not as harsh on opponents. Jatiya Janasena Party’s Duggirala Nageshwar Rao, who is from Andhra Pradesh, and Bhim Sena’s Sangha Nadh Baudh believe this contest gives their parties some visibility.

Independent candidate Abhilasha, a social worker, is willing to give credit to mainstream parties for the work they did but feels they could have done more. She highlights clean drinking water, sanitation and women security among her priorities.

Right to Recall Party’s Santosh Kumar has a list of promises, including a ‘Vote Wapsi Passbook’ and reducing rent.

Bharatrashtra Democratic Party’s Ishwar Chand wants to help the “victims of inequality” and one of his promises is to end contract employment and help the underprivileged live in dignity. Rashtriya Manav Party’s Nityanand Singh too agrees on this count.

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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