BJP fields ex-AAP ministers, ex-Cong chief in 1st candidate list for Delhi polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released the first list of 29 candidates for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, fielding former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers Kailash Gahlot from Bijwasan and Raj Kumar Anand from Patel Nagar, and former Delhi Congress chief Arvind Singh Lovely from Gandhi Nagar.

The party has pitted former chief minister Sahib Singh Verma’s son Pravesh Sahib Singh Verma against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi seat, and former South Delhi member of Parliament (MP) Ramesh Bidhuri against chief minister Atishi in Kalkaji.

The New Delhi constituency is now set to see a big-ticket fight among a former chief minister and the sons of two former CMs as the Congress has already fielded former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit’s son Sandeep Dikshit from the seat. The Congress has Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba against Atishi in Kalkaji.

The BJP has given the Gandhi Nagar seat to Lovely, who joined the party during the Lok Sabha polls, after dropping its sitting MLA Anil Kumar Bajpai. The party has retained its sitting MLAs Ajay Mahwar (Ghonda), Jitendra Mahajan (Rohtas Nagar), Vijender Gupta (Rohini) and OP Sharma (Vishwas Nagar) for their respective seats.

The BJP’s first list is a mix of party leaders, defectors from the AAP as well as the Congress, sitting MLAs and former MPs. The list of 29 has only two women candidates-- Rekha Gupta from Shalimar Bagh and Kumari Rinku from Seemapuri.

Former AAP MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar, who recently joined the BJP, has been fielded from Chhatarpur and former Congress MLA Raj Kumar Chauhan has been fielded from Mangolpuri seat.

The BJP has fielded former MLA Tarvinder Singh Marwah against AAP leader and former deputy CM Manish Sisodia in Jangpura. Sisodia, who represented Patparganj seat between 2013-2024, has shifted to Jangpura for the 2025 assembly election.

AAP has announced all 70 candidates for the 70 seats in Delhi. The Congress has announced 48 candidates so far.

“I congratulate all the candidates who are a perfect mix of experience and popularity. They will defeat the AAP candidates in their respective constituencies and win the election. The AAP has done no work in the last 10 years and Arvind Kejriwal looks devoid of narrative and vision and lacks any work in the last five years to show to the people other than a long list of corruption, and scams. The naming of the candidates will help further intensify our preparations and BJP will form the next government in Delhi,” Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said.

AAP’s response is awaited.

Assembly elections for the 70 seats of Delhi are likely in February this year as the term of the current assembly is set to expire on February 23.

In 2020, AAP won 62 and BJP 8 seats in the 70-member assembly. At present, the AAP holds 58 seats, as four of its members have either resigned or been disqualified, and the BJP has seven after sitting BJP MLA from Badarpur Ramvir Singh Bidhuri resigned in June after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from south Delhi.

The schedule of the 2025 polls is likely to be announced next week.