NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced that Delhi will undergo voting in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with polling for the capital’s 7 parliamentary constituencies scheduled for May 25 in the sixth phase.
According to the ECI, the seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi, including Chandni Chowk, North East Delhi, East Delhi, New Delhi, North West Delhi, West Delhi, and South Delhi, will participate in the electoral process simultaneously.
Delhi has a total of 1.47 crore electors, with 67.5 lakh women and 80.09 lakh men among them. The term of the current Lok Sabha is set to expire on June 16.
In its second list of candidates, the BJP has introduced two new faces, Harsh Malhotra and Yogendra Chandolia, for the East and North West Delhi constituencies, respectively. Malhotra, a former Mayor of the erstwhile East Delhi Municipal Corporation, has been nominated as the BJP candidate for East Delhi, while Chandolia, a former Mayor of the erstwhile North Delhi Municipal Corporation, secured the ticket for Northwest Delhi.
With this announcement, the BJP aims to revitalize its campaign strategy and infuse new leadership to represent the national capital in Parliament. Notably, the BJP had secured victories in all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in the last two general elections, showcasing its dominance in the region.
In the initial list announced on March 3, the BJP had named five candidates, including Bansuri Swaraj, Praveen Khandelwal, Manoj Tiwari, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and Kamaljeet Sehrawat. Among these, only Manoj Tiwari has been renominated, indicating a significant shift in the party’s candidate selection process.
Sitting East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir who knows that he was also sidelined by the party’s high command, has already declared his decision not to contest the upcoming elections. Meanwhile, several sitting Delhi MPs, including Parvesh Verma, Ramesh Bidhuri, Meenakshi Lekhi, Hans Raj Hans, and Harsh Vardhan, failed to secure party tickets this time.
Furthermore, a coalition between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress has been formed in Delhi. AAP will contest on four seats, while the Congress will field candidates on three. AAP has already announced its candidates, with Kuldeep Kumar for East Delhi, Somnath Bharti for New Delhi, Sahiram Pehelwan for South Delhi, and Mahabal Mishra for West Delhi.
The upcoming general elections in Delhi promise to be a dynamic contest, with new faces entering the fray and alliances shaping the political landscape in the national capital.
