New Delhi: A total of 1521 nominations have been filed for the 70 constituencies of Delhi ahead of the assembly elections, scheduled to be held on February 5, the Election Commission of India (ECI) reported. 

The nominations have been submitted by 981 candidates aiming for the 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly, as stated by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi. The scrutiny of these nominations will take place today, and the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is January 20.

Last-minute surge in nominations

According to the Election Commission, 680 nominations were filed on the final day of submission, January 17. 

The highest number of nominations have been filed in the New Delhi Assembly Constituency, with a total of 29 candidates submitting 40 nomination papers for this seat. 

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is contesting the election from the New Delhi seat. He will face the sons of two former Delhi Chief Ministers: BJP’s Parvesh Verma, the son of Sahib Singh Verma, and Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit, the son of Sheila Dikshit.

In contrast, the minimum number of nominations have been filed in the Kasturba Nagar Assembly Constituency, where just 6 candidates have filed a total of 9 nomination papers. AAP has fielded Ramesh Pahalwan, BJP has fielded Neeraj Basoya, and Congress has fielded Abhishek Dutt from this seat.

In the Kalkaji seat, 18 candidates have filed 28 nomination papers. The incumbent Chief Minister, Atishi, is contesting from this seat against BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress’ Alka Lamba.

From the Patparganj seat, a total of 20 nomination papers were filed by 11 candidates. AAP has fielded famous educator Awadh Ojha for this seat. It is notable that former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who had contested the Patparganj seat since 2013, is now contesting from Jangpura, which has received 19 nomination papers from 12 candidates.

The election commission provided a breakdown of nominations across various regions of the capital:

  • Central Delhi: 154 nomination papers filed by 99 candidates.
  • East Delhi: 119 nominations filed by 79 candidates.
  • New Delhi: 135 nominations filed by 85 candidates, covering constituencies like Patel Nagar, Delhi Cantt, Rajinder Nagar, and Greater Kailash.
  • North Delhi: 108 candidates filed 183 nominations.
  • North-East Delhi: 116 nominations filed by 80 candidates.
  • North West Delhi: 90 candidates filed 139 nominations.
  • Shahdara: 78 candidates filed 124 nominations.
  • South Delhi: 88 nominations from 57 candidates, including constituencies like Malviya Nagar, Mehrauli, and Chhatarpur.
  • South East Delhi: 140 nominations from 93 candidates.
  • South West Delhi: 153 nominations from 108 candidates.
  • West Delhi: 170 nominations from 104 candidates.

Rising political tensions

With the assembly elections drawing near, the political battle in Delhi is intensifying. AAP, BJP, and Congress have been accusing each other of corruption and mismanagement.

Adding fuel to the fire, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi recently questioned former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal about what he had done to combat inflation and assist the poor in Delhi. Kejriwal, in turn, claimed that the upcoming assembly elections would expose the longstanding alliance between Congress and BJP, describing it as a "jugalbandi."

On the other hand, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) remains united for the Delhi elections. The BJP has announced its candidates for 68 out of the 70 seats, leaving two seats—Burari and Deoli—for JDU's Shailendra Kumar and LJP (RV)'s candidate, respectively.

While the Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 consecutive years, has faced setbacks in the last two assembly elections, failing to win any seat, the AAP is hoping to replicate its 2020 success, where it won 62 out of 70 seats. In contrast, the BJP managed to secure only 8 seats. 

The counting of votes will take place on February 8. 

ANI