Epic battle for New Delhi seat: Ex-CM Arvind Kejriwal faces off against sons of two former CMs in assembly elections
As the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections approach, former CM Arvind Kejriwal prepares to defend his seat against Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and Sandeep Dikshit, sons of influential political figures. With a history of fierce competition, this election promises to be a gripping political battle.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, son of former chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, from the New Delhi seat.
Parvesh's candidature announced among 29 other names on Saturday paves way for a high-octane contest in the New Delhi seat in the upcoming Delhi Assembly Election 2025 — a former CM vs sons of two former CMs.
Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convenor and former Chief Minister of Delhi, is contesting the New Delhi seat. Kejriwal has won the seat three times: in the 2013, 2015, and 2020 assembly polls.
Congress has fielded former MP Sandeep Dikshit, son of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Parvesh's candidature, announced on Saturday, makes the contest even more interesting.
Ex-CM vs two sons of former CMs
Parvesh Verma is a two-time BJP MP from West Delhi (2014-2024). He won the 2013 Delhi assembly election from Mehrauli seat in South Delhi.
Parvesh's father, Sahib Singh Verma, was Delhi’s fourth chief minister and was in office from February 1996 to October 1998.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit's name featured in the party's first list of 21 candidates for the Delhi assembly polls released last month. Sandeep's late mother and former Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, had represented the seat for three straight terms until 2013, when she was defeated by Kejriwal.
Sandeep, 60 won the Lok Sabha elections from East Delhi seat twice – 2004 and 2009. He lost from the seat in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress and the AAP are partners in INDIA bloc but are rivals in Delhi and Punjab. Earlier this week, Kejriwal ruled out any possibility of alliance with the Congress in the upcoming assembly polls in the national capital.
High-profile seat
New Delhi is one of the most high-profile seats among 70 assembly constituencies of the national capital.
In 1993, Kirti Azad won from New Delhi on a BJP ticket. Azad is now a TMC MP in Lok Sabha. Sheila won the seat as a Congress candidate in 1998, 2003, and 2008.
Kejriwal won from New Delhi seat in 2013 defeating Sheila by over 25,000 votes. He won the seat again in 2015 defeating BJP's Nupur Sharma by over 31,000 votes.
In 2020, the last assembly election, Kejriwal defeated BJP's Sunil Yadav by over 21,000 votes. Congress candidate Romesh Sabharwal got just 3,220 votes in the New Delhi seat in the 2020 assembly elections.
BJP candidate list 2025 Delhi
The BJP released it first list of candidate for the upcoming Delhi Assembly Election on 4 January. Apart from Parvesh Verma, the first has names of former MP Ramesh Bidhuri from Kalkaji, former Delhi unit head of Congress party, Arvinder Singh Lovely from Gandhi Nagar and former AAP leader Kailash Gahlot from Bijwasan seat.
2025 Delhi Assembly Election Schedule
The elections to the 70-member Delhi assembly are expected to be held in February next year. The Election Commission of India has not announced the dates yet.
The term of the current assembly in Delhi expires on February 23, 2025.
AAP, led by Kejriwal, is seeking to retain power in Delhi for a third straight time after its electoral successes in 2015 and 2020. The party won 67 seats in 2015 and 63 seats in 2020 in the 70-member Assembly.
- The New Delhi seat is a historical battleground with significant political legacies.
- Kejriwal has a strong track record in this constituency, having won three consecutive elections.
- The rivalry between AAP and Congress, despite their alliance in the INDIA bloc, adds complexity to the elections.
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