As the penultimate phase of the general elections approaches, attention turns to the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, with the BJP aiming for another clean sweep and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seeking its first victory in the national capital.
The BJP secured all seven seats in Delhi in both the 2014 and 2019 elections, while the AAP, despite holding power in Delhi, has yet to win a single Lok Sabha seat.
In a strategic move, the AAP and the Congress are contesting the elections in Delhi as partners under the INDIA bloc, with the AAP fielding candidates in four seats and the Congress in three. Additionally, the AAP is contesting one seat in Haryana and two in Gujarat, while both parties are engaging in a friendly contest in Punjab.
In Delhi, the AAP is contesting in East Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi, and New Delhi, while the Congress is contesting in North-East Delhi, North-West Delhi, and Chandni Chowk.
Key candidates include Kuldeep Kumar, Sahiram Pehalwan, Mahabal Mishra, and Somnath Bharti from the AAP, and Udit Raj, Jai Prakash Agarwal, and Kanhaiya Kumar from the Congress.
Despite sweeping Delhi in 2019, the BJP replaced six of its seven MPs, retaining only Manoj Tiwari from North-East Delhi. The new candidates include Praveen Khandelwal, Harsh Deep Malhotra, Yogender Chandolia, Ramvir Singh Bhiduri, Kamaljeet Singh Sehrawat, and Bansuri Swaraj.
The AAP’s campaign hit a snag when its national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Despite interim bail granted by the Supreme Court, the AAP faces allegations and a chargesheet from the ED.
The campaign faced further challenges with allegations of irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board and at mohalla clinics. However, the AAP received a boost when Kejriwal resumed campaigning after his release from Tihar jail.
The campaign took another turn with allegations of assault against AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, leading to a heated exchange between the AAP and the BJP.
As the political landscape intensifies in Delhi, the BJP aims for a repeat of its 2019 success, while the AAP and Congress hope for a breakthrough.