NEW DELHI: The stage is set for Delhi’s eagerly awaited Assembly elections on February 5, with as many as 700 ( exactly recorded 699) candidates in the race for the 70-member House.
This year sees an increase of 27 contestants compared to the 2020 elections, which had 672 candidates. The results of the polls will be announced on February 8.
The New Delhi constituency, currently represented by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal, has become the most contested seat, as per the Delhi Chief Electoral Office. Kejriwal faces a tough fight against BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit, along with 20 other candidates, making it a total of 23 contenders in this high-stakes constituency.
Following closely is Janakpuri, with 16 contestants, while Rohtas Nagar, Karawal Nagar, and Laxmi Nagar each have 15 candidates competing for their respective seats.
On the other hand, Patel Nagar and Kasturba Nagar are the least crowded constituencies, each having just five candidates. Interestingly, Patel Nagar, a seat reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, also had the lowest number of contestants in the 2020 elections, with only four. Constituencies out of the 70, there are 38 regions having fewer than 10 candidates. Tilak Nagar, Mangolpuri, and Greater Kailash have six contenders each, while Chandni Chowk, Rajendra Nagar, and Malviya Nagar feature seven contestants apiece.
When it comes to party representation, both the AAP and Congress have fielded candidates in all 70 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party is contesting 68 seats, leaving 2 for its allies, that is, the Loktantrik Jan Shakti Party and Janata Dal (United). Meanwhile, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has announced its candidates for 69 constituencies.
The nomination process witnessed a flurry of activity, with 981 candidates submitting 1,522 nomination papers during the week-long window beginning January 10. After thorough scrutiny on January 18 and withdrawals by January 20, the final candidate list was finalized.
Apart from major political parties, several smaller groups and independent candidates have also joined the fray. For instance, the Aapki Apni Party (Peoples) and the Bharatiya Liberal Party are among the lesser-known entities fielding candidates. Seven independents have also contributed to the record 23 contestants vying for the New Delhi Assembly seat, making it the most competitive constituency this election season.