Marked by the BJP aggressively raising the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh as a poll issue, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hard selling development and the Congress conspicuous by its near absence, the bitter, often divisive and vitriolic campaign for the Delhi elections ended on 7 February.
As the national capital goes to vote on Saturday, 8 February, here’s a look at the key constituencies:
New Delhi
The New Delhi constituency – from where incumbent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is contesting – is perhaps the most-watched out for electoral battle. While BJP has fielded Sunil Yadav, Congress will see Romesh Sabharwal taking on Kejriwal.
Kejriwal won the seat for the first time, defeating the then chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit, and is seeking to be elected from the constituency for the third time.
Apart from Congress and BJP, 25 others are also taking on Kejriwal – with the seat becoming the one with most number of candidates in the 2020 polls.
Patparganj
Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister and AAP’s senior leader Manish Sisodia has won from this seat, both in 2013 and 2015, securing a massive 41.5 percent and 53.5 percent vote share respectively.
In 2020, two migrants from Uttarakhand – BJP’s Ravi Negi and Congress’ Laxman Rawat – are fighting against him.
Okhla
Campaigning in the Muslim-dominated Okhla Assembly constituency has been low-key, given the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register for Citizens. Once a Congress strong-hold, AAP leader Amanatullah Khan won the seat last time around, defeating his BJP rival by nearly 60,000 votes.
In 2020, Khan faces challenge from BJP’s Brahm Singh and Congress’s Parvez Hashmi.
Kalkaji
A popular face in the AAP, Atishi lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from East Delhi to BJP’s Gautam Gambhir. Widely credited for reforming Delhi’s government schools, Atishi will take on Shivani Chopra, the daughter of Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra.
Shivani’s father has won the seat three times in the past.
Both women are aiming to kick-start their career in electoral politics and are pitted against BJP leader and former area councillor Dharambir Singh.
Rajinder Nagar
Like Atishi, AAP’s Raghav Chadha too contested and lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the South Delhi constituency. AAP’s national spokesperson, Chadha, will take on Congress leader Rocky Tuseed, a newcomer to electoral politics.
Tuseed was the former Delhi University Students Union president, representing the Congress-backed NSUI.
Senior BJP leader RP Singh is also in the fray in the constituency.
Hari Nagar
AAP’s Rajkumari Dhillon, Congress’ Surinder Sethi – two experienced politicians – are up against BJP spokesperson Tajinder Bagga, who has been named as the party's candidate for Hari Nagar.
Dhillon, who was earlier in Congress, was the first-ever woman candidate, fielded from this seat since 1993.
Hari Nagar is traditionally considered a BJP stronghold with the party winning the seat from 1993 to 2013.
Chandni Chowk
The Chandni Chowk Assembly constituency will see triangular contest between Congress’ Alka Lamba, AAP’s Prahlad Singh Sawhney and the BJP’s Suman Kumar Gupta.
Lamba, who was elected on an AAP ticket in 2015, defeated Gupta by a margin of 18,287 votes. Interestingly, Sawhney, who contested on a Congress ticket finished third.
Following months of tussle with the party leadership, Lamba quit AAP in September 2019.
Rohini
The Rohini constituency was one of the three seats that had gone to the BJP in the 2015 elections, when AAP had bagged 67 out of 70 seats.
The winning candidate, BJP’s Vijender Gupta – the leader of Opposition – is contesting once again, up against AAP’s Rajesh Nama Bansiwala. Meanwhile, the Congress has fielded Sumesh Gupta.
(With inputs from PTI)
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