AAP vs ex-AAP vs ex-AAP: A riveting contest on cards in Delhi

The three main candidates squaring off from the seat this time are an AAP leader, and two former AAP leaders

There is no assembly constituency in the Capital where the stage is set for a contest as riveting as Bijwasan’s.

Waterlogging and an open pothole in Bijwasan village on Friday. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT Photo)

By the time the dust settled after the tense counting day during the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate Bhupinder Singh Joon had eked out a victory against Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Sat Prakash Rana by a mere 753 votes—a razor-thin margin of 0.6%, the smallest in that election.

This time, the contest is layered with even more intrigue – the three main candidates squaring off from the seat this time are an AAP leader, and two former AAP leaders.

The BJP has fielded Kailash Gahlot, a 50-year-old AAP defector and former Kejriwal cabinet member who switched sides last November. The Congress has put forward Colonel Devinder Kumar Sehrawat, 59, who previously won the Bijwasan seat in 2015 as an AAP candidate.

The AAP’s new face for the constituency is 47-year-old Surender Bhardwaj, husband of the party’s sitting councillor from Raj Nagar. Bhardwaj, who ran unsuccessfully in the 2013 elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket, replaces Joon in a bid to counter anti-incumbency.

Joon’s candidacy in 2020 had replaced Sehrawat, whose membership was suspended by the AAP in 2016 over alleged anti-party activities and later disqualified in 2019 after joining the BJP. The bitter history among these candidates has made the race a closely watched spectacle.

Adding to the drama, the side-lined leaders have stirred discontent within their parties.

Rana, the BJP’s three-term MLA who narrowly lost in 2020, expressed his disappointment after being dropped in favour of Gahlot, whom he labelled “an outsider.” Rana even held panchayat meetings to gauge whether he should contest as an independent.

When contacted, however, Rana said, “After the panchayat meetings, I have decided not to contest the elections. I along with my supporters will work for the party’s benefits in the elections.”

Some of his supporters, however, remain disgruntled, accusing Gahlot of neglecting the constituency during his tenure as a minister. For them, Gahlot, who won the 2020 elections from the Najafgarh seat, remains an “outsider”.

Similarly, AAP loyalists are upset by Joon’s exclusion, while Congress supporters of Praveen Rana have shown signs of rebellion.

In the Jat-dominated constituency, Bhardwaj’s Brahmin identity has raised concerns among some who fear he lacks the local appeal of Gahlot and Sehrawat, both Jats.

Bhardwaj, however, dismisses such apprehensions. “I don’t believe in caste politics. I represent the AAP, which transcends caste and religion. As for comparisons, I am the original AAP leader,” he said.

Constituency demographics

Bijwasan, with 211,745 voters as per the January 2025 electoral roll, is one of many seats in the Delhi contest that blends rural and urban populations.

Traditionally a Jat stronghold, the constituency has seen an influx of migrants, primarily from Poorvanchal and Uttarakhand, making it a microcosm of Delhi’s diverse electorate.

Comprising 11 villages — eight Jat, two Yadav, and one Brahmin — the Bijwasan assembly constituency borders Haryana’s Gurugram and includes areas near the Delhi airport and Aerocity. The constituency’s mix of agriculturists, landowners, government employees, and residents of unauthorised colonies reflects a broad spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds.

The constituency is divided by the Delhi-Gurugram highway, with gated colonies like Vasant Kunj on one side and villages like Bijwasan, Kapashera, and Samalkha on the other. Urban dwellers populate societies in Dwarka’s Sector 8 and 9 and Vasant Kunj’s Sector-C, while unauthorised colonies and farmhouses dominate areas like Raj Nagar and Samalkha, known for its lavish wedding venues.

Residents’ issues

Despite its proximity to world-class facilities like Aerocity, several areas in Bijwasan struggle with basic infrastructure.

Water scarcity tops the list of grievances, with areas like Bijwasan, Kapashera, and Samalkha relying heavily on borewells and bottled water. In summers the problems are exacerbated, forcing residents to queue for hours to collect water from Delhi Jal Board (DJB) tankers, often leading to disputes.

“Drinking water had always remained a poll agenda for us in every election. But even after many years, our water woes have not been resolved. Politicians make tall promises before elections, but do nothing after winning. The underground water reservoir that was inaugurated around a decade ago in Kapashera and could have solved water supply problems for nearly 170,000 residents is still not functional. In this election also, drinking water and sewerage-free neighbourhood remain our prime demands,” said Jai Singh Rana, a 64-year-old resident of Bijwasan.

In Kapashera, residents like Rajesh Raj Vats echo these frustrations.

“We live next to Aerocity but lack even basic amenities. Most borewells are defunct, and the water we get from them is salty and unfit for consumption. For drinking water, most of us rely on bottled water for which we pay ₹20 per bottle, or on DBJ’s tankers. Sewer line projects have left streets in disrepair, making them hazardous for the elderly,” he said.

Gated colonies in Vasant Kunj and Dwarka have their own set of issues.

In Vasant Kunj, street crimes like snatching and robberies are a growing concern. “Snatchers on motorcycles often target morning walkers or people walking alone on isolated streets. Presence of police needs to be increased to tackle such crimes and criminals,” said Sunanda Makhija, a resident of Pocket C-8 in Vasant Kunj.

In Dwarka Sector 9, unauthorised parking clogs streets outside residential societies, while footpath encroachments by street vendors are common complaints.

Atul Tyagi, resident welfare association (RWA) president of Shanti Kunj Apartments in Dwarka Sector-9, said, “Dwarka Sector-9 is an institutional area having many private schools and colleges. The main issue in our area is unauthorised parking on the roads outside our societies, leaving little space for our vehicles. Encroachment on footpaths by street vendors is also a cause of concern.”

Residents of Mahipalpur and Raj Nagar-II in Palam Colony face chronic waterlogging during monsoons and lack adequate parking. These problems are set to dominate candidate interactions in the coming weeks.

Promises for the future

Congress candidate Sehrawat leans on his track record, branding himself as a “Robin Hood” who delivered development during his 2015-2020 tenure as an AAP leaders.

“My slogan for this election is ‘Colonel ka kayda: baatein kum, kaam zyada (Colonel’s rule: talk less, work more)’. For the past three months, I have been meeting people in my constituency and highlighting my work when I was elected me as their MLA in 2015. I aim to resolve water and sewerage issues and bring Bijwasan under NDMC jurisdiction, aligning it with its proximity to the airport,” added Sehrawat, a retired Indian Army Colonel.

Bhardwaj, AAP’s candidate, emphasises his experience as a councillor and familiarity with local issues. “Several development works happened during the sitting AAP MLA’s tenure. Getting the UGRs functional at the earliest will be my top priority as with that the water problem in some parts of the constituency will be solved. I will also be taking up the sewerage problem apart from doing some other development works in the constituency,” he said.

BJP’s Gahlot also said that after winning the elections his main focus will be on strengthening the water supply network. “Most of the villages and colonies face acute water logging. My efforts will be to solve these problems. Creating good sports infrastructure for youngsters and ensuring IGL gas pipeline network in the constituency will also be my priorities,” he said.

As the campaign trail heats up, the Bijwasan constituency stands as a battleground that encapsulates Delhi’s political complexities. Here, caste dynamics, urban-rural divides, and developmental challenges collide in a contest where every vote will count, and every promise will be scrutinised.