The political arena in Delhi is set for a fierce showdown as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, in an alliance, gear up to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. With the BJP eyeing a third consecutive victory and banking on the Modi factor and its key electoral issues such as the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the implementation of the CAA, and the abrogation of Article 370, the AAP-Congress alliance seeks to disrupt the status quo and reclaim ground in the national capital.
The Election Commission of India announced that voters in Delhi will cast their ballots for the city’s seven Lok Sabha seats on May 25. Nearly 15 million eligible electors will participate in the electoral process as the BJP and the Opposition’s INDIA alliance engage in direct contests across Delhi.
The AAP will contest four seats—New Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi, and East Delhi—while Congress candidates will vie for seats in Chandni Chowk, North East Delhi, and North West Delhi. The Lok Sabha elections in Delhi are scheduled for the sixth phase on May 25.
| No. | Constituency | Turnout[4] | Elected Member | Party | Runner-up | Party | Win Margin(by votes) | Win Margin(by % votes) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chandni Chowk | 62.78  | Dr. Harsh Vardhan | Bharatiya Janata Party | Jai Prakash Agarwal | Indian National Congress | 228,145 | 23.27 | ||
| 2 | North East Delhi | 63.86 | Manoj Tiwari | Bharatiya Janata Party | Sheila Dikshit | Indian National Congress | 366,102 | 25.05 | ||
| 3 | East Delhi | 61.7 | Gautam Gambhir | Bharatiya Janata Party | Arvinder Singh Lovely | Indian National Congress | 391,222 | 31.11 | ||
| 4 | New Delhi | 56.91 | Meenakshi Lekhi | Bharatiya Janata Party | Ajay Maken | Indian National Congress | 256,504 | 27.86 | ||
| 5 | North West Delhi | 58.97 | Hans Raj | Bharatiya Janata Party | Gugan Singh | Aam Aadmi Party | 553,897 | 39.48 | ||
| 6 | West Delhi | 60.82 | Parvesh Verma | Bharatiya Janata Party | Mahabal Mishra | Indian National Congress | 578,586 | 40.13 | ||
| 7 | South Delhi | 58.75 | Ramesh Bidhuri | Bharatiya Janata Party | Raghav Chadha | Aam Aadmi Party | 367,043 | 30.23 | ||
Source- Wiki
In a bid to rally public support, opposition parties in India have joined forces to condemn the alleged misuse of investigative agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by the ruling party at the center. However, their campaigning seems focused on attacking the BJP rather than presenting a clear developmental model to voters.
The recent arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has intensified opposition claims of political vendetta and vote rigging by the ruling party. Kejriwal’s arrest on corruption charges, just weeks before the national election, has raised concerns about the fairness of the electoral process. Despite these challenges, the BJP continues to emphasize real issues affecting the public, potentially strengthening its mandate for a rare third term.
In the 2019 elections, BJP candidates swept all seven seats, garnering more votes than the combined totals of Congress and AAP candidates. However, this time, the Congress and AAP intend to challenge the BJP’s dominance.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP secured 56.6% of the votes, while the Congress received 22.51% and the AAP garnered 18.11%. Among the seven constituencies, New Delhi has the smallest electorate with 1.48 million voters, while West Delhi has the largest with 2.49 million voters. As of February 1, 2024, Delhi’s population stands at 14.7 million, comprising nearly 8 million men, 6.7 million women, and 1,176 third-gender individuals.
For the 2024 elections, the BJP has fielded new candidates, excluding incumbent MP Manoj Tiwari. The seven BJP candidates include Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (South Delhi), Bansuri Swaraj (New Delhi), Praveen Khandelwal (Chandni Chowk), Kamaljeet Sehrawat (West Delhi), Harsh Malhotra (East Delhi), Yogendra Chandolia (North West Delhi), and Manoj Tiwari (North East Delhi).
Delhi Lok Sabha Elections 2024- Source- Wiki
Political dynamics: Parties position for electoral battle across seven constituencies- AAP has announced its candidates for four of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, three of whom are current legislators in the state assembly. Somnath Bharti will contest from New Delhi, Sahi Ram Pahalwan from South Delhi, Kuldeep Kumar from East Delhi, and Mahabal Mishra from West Delhi.
In New Delhi, the competition will be between two advocates, Bansuri Swaraj and AAP legislator Somnath Bharti. The contest in South Delhi will feature two sitting MLAs, Badarpur MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Tughlakabad MLA Sahi Ram Pahalwan. Meanwhile, in West Delhi, Sehrawat will face AAP’s Mahabal Mishra, who previously won the seat on a Congress ticket. In East Delhi, the contest is between sitting Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar and former mayor Harsh Malhotra.
Strategic alliances: AAP, Congress forge coalition; BJP realigns candidate lineup
AAP and Congress have formed an alliance in Delhi, with AAP contesting four seats and Congress agreeing to contest the remaining three. While AAP has announced its candidates for the four seats, Congress is yet to declare its nominees for the remaining three seats. The BJP has decided not to field several incumbent MPs, including Meenakshi Lekhi, Harsh Vardhan, Hans Raj Hans, Gautam Gambhir, Ramesh Bidhuri, and Pravesh Sahib Singh. Only Manoj Tiwari has been renominated by the party, contesting from the North East Delhi seat for the third term. Harsh Vardhan, the current MP for Chandni Chowk, has withdrawn from active politics after being excluded from the BJP’s candidate list.
The Lok Sabha elections for North East Delhi, along with other constituencies, are scheduled to take place later this year. The Election Commission of India announced the final schedule for voting and results for the North East Delhi Lok Sabha election on March 16.
In the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, Manoj Tiwari from the BJP emerged victorious in the North East Delhi constituency, securing 787,799 votes, while Sheila Dikshit of the INC received 421,697 votes. Tiwari won with a significant margin of 366,102 votes. Similarly, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Manoj Tiwari defeated AAP candidate Anand Kumar by 144,084 votes, garnering 596,125 votes against Kumar’s 452,041 votes.
Moving to the North West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, which is one of the seven parliamentary constituencies in the NCT of Delhi, the voter turnout in the 2019 Parliament election was 58.97 percent. In the 2019 elections, BJP candidate Hans Raj Hans secured victory with 848,663 votes, defeating AAP’s Gugan Singh, who received 294,766 votes. BJP secured 60 percent of the votes. Similarly, in the 2014 elections, Hans Raj Hans, the BJP candidate, won with 848,663 votes, defeating AAP’s Gugan Singh, who garnered 553,897 votes.
Looking ahead to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Chandni Chowk, which is also one of the seven constituencies in the NCT of Delhi, the Election Commission of India announced the final schedule for voting and results on March 16.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Harsh Vardhan from the BJP emerged victorious in the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency, securing 519,055 votes, while Jai Prakash Agarwal of the INC received 290,910 votes. Vardhan won by a margin of 228,145 votes. Similarly, in the 2014 elections, Dr. Harsh Vardhan of the BJP won the Chandni Chowk constituency with 437,938 votes, defeating Ashutosh of the AAP, who received 301,618 votes. The Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency had a total of 1,447,230 registered electors in 2014.
Moving to the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, the Election Commission of India announced the dates for voting and results on March 16. Gautam Gambhir, from the BJP, won the East Delhi constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with 696,156 votes, while Arvinder Singh Lovely of the INC received 304,934 votes. Gambhir secured a landslide victory with a margin of 391,222 votes. In the 2014 elections, Maheish Girri of the BJP won with 572,202 votes, defeating Rajmohan Gandhi of the AAP, who garnered 381,739 votes. There were a total of 1,196,731 registered voters in East Delhi in 2014.
Looking ahead to the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, which is one of the seven constituencies in the NCT of Delhi, the final schedule for voting and results has been announced by the Election Commission of India. The New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency will go to polls on May 25 (Phase 6), with results expected on June 4. In the 2019 elections, Meenakashi Lekhi of the BJP won the New Delhi constituency with 504,206 votes, while Ajay Makan of the INC secured 247,702 votes. The total votes from the Meenakashi Lekhi constituency were 920,567.
South Delhi is one of the seven Lok Sabha seats in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, currently represented by BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri. The Election Commission of India announced the dates for the Lok Sabha election on March 16.
The 2024 Lok Sabha Election for the West Delhi Constituency in the NCT of Delhi, another one of the state’s seven Lok Sabha seats, is scheduled for this year. The specific dates for voting and the announcement of results were officially declared by the Election Commission of India on March 16.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, the sitting MP, secured victory in the West Delhi constituency. Verma received 865,648 votes, while Mahabal Mishra, the runner-up candidate, garnered 287,162 votes. The victory margin was 578,486.
Bansuri Swaraj, contesting from the New Delhi constituency, outlined her priorities, which include creating a start-up hub and strengthening self-help groups for women. She emphasized her commitment to addressing the issue of sealed shops and leveraging technology for women’s safety, including using drones for police surveillance.
Manoj Tiwari, the candidate for North East Delhi, highlighted his previous accomplishments as an MP, including the completion of the Signature Bridge and bringing Metro trains to the area. Tiwari pledged to expedite the development of a beautiful riverfront within 100 days and address congestion issues. He also mentioned plans to commence work on the fourth phase of the Metro and the inauguration of a Central school, with two more schools in progress.
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