New Delhi [India], January 19: A total of 719 candidates will contest the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, scheduled for February 5, across the 70 seats in the national capital, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI).
After the scrutiny of nominations on January 18, it was confirmed that 719 candidates remain in the race, out of the 981 who initially filed nominations. A total of 1,040 nomination papers were accepted during the scrutiny process, while 477 nominations were rejected.
The New Delhi Assembly constituency saw the highest number of candidates, with 23 contenders, while the Patel Nagar and Kasturba Nagar constituencies had the fewest, with just 5 candidates each. A total of 29 candidates filed 40 nomination papers for the New Delhi seat, where former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is contesting. Kejriwal faces competition from Parvesh Verma (BJP), son of former CM Sahib Singh Verma, and Sandeep Dikshit (Congress), son of former CM Sheila Dikshit.
On the other hand, Kasturba Nagar had only 6 candidates, with 9 nomination papers filed. The AAP has fielded Ramesh Pahalwan, BJP has nominated Neeraj Basoya, and Congress has chosen Abhishek Dutt for this seat.
As the election date nears, the political battle in Delhi is heating up, with AAP, BJP, and Congress engaging in heated exchanges and accusations. Delhi will vote in a single phase on February 5, and the vote counting will take place on February 8.
In the previous elections, AAP had a strong performance, winning 62 out of 70 seats in 2020, while BJP secured just 8. Congress, which held power in Delhi for 15 consecutive years, has faced setbacks in recent elections, failing to win any seats in the last two assembly polls.