Triangular contest on New Delhi Assembly seat, challenge from veterans before Kejriwal

Amidst the hustle and bustle of Delhi Assembly elections, New Delhi Assembly seat has become the center of discussion this time. From here, all three major parties have made preparations to field big leaders.

• Aam Aadmi Party (AAP): Party chief and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will contest from this seat for the fourth time.
• Congress: This time Congress has made Sandeep Dikshit, son of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, its candidate.
• BJP: The name of Pravesh Verma, son of former BJP MP and former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, is considered almost certain.

Arvind Kejriwal: New Delhi’s consistent winner

Arvind Kejriwal has won this seat three consecutive times.

• 2013: Kejriwal created a sensation for the first time by defeating the then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit from this seat.
• 2015 and 2020: He won with a huge majority.
  • Vote percentage in 2015: 64.1%
  • Vote percentage in 2020: 61.4%

Kejriwal’s preparation

• Two months before the elections, they are actively running door-to-door campaigns in New Delhi area.
• Trying to win for the fourth time on the basis of regional development and public relations.

Congress: Bet on Sheila Dikshit’s legacy

This time Congress has made the elections interesting by fielding Sandeep Dixit from New Delhi seat.

• Sandeep Dixit has been MP from East Delhi twice.
• His mother and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had kept this seat a Congress stronghold for a long time.

BJP: Pravesh Verma ready with the legacy of Sahib Singh Verma

BJP has planned to field Pravesh Verma, son of former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma and two-time MP from West Delhi, on this seat.

• BJP hopes that with the help of Pravesh Verma’s image and his vote bank in Delhi, he can challenge Arvind Kejriwal.

BJP’s performance in last elections

• In 2015: BJP’s Nupur Sharma contested against Arvind Kejriwal, but did not get even half of the total votes.
• In 2020: BJP had fielded Sunil Yadav as its candidate, but Kejriwal won by a huge margin.

Why is New Delhi seat special this time?

• Three legendary leaders:
  • Arvind Kejriwal (AAP)
  • Sandeep Dixit (Congress)
  • Pravesh Verma (BJP)
• The result of New Delhi seat can have a deep impact on the political career of all the candidates.
• This time this seat has become the center of a triangular contest with the entry of big names from BJP and Congress.