Congress releases 1st list, Sandeep Dikshit to contest mother’s seat — New Delhi

The constituency is currently represented by Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, who defeated Sheila Dikshit in the 2013 elections

The Congress on Thursday announced its first list of 21 candidates for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections. The key names in the list included former MP Sandeep Dikshit, who will contest from the New Delhi constituency — a seat once held by his late mother and three-time Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit. (HT Archive)

The constituency is currently represented by Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, who defeated Sheila Dikshit in the 2013 elections by a margin of over 25,000. The AAP has yet to announce its candidate for the seat.

The Congress lineup features a mix of experienced politicians and new entrants.

Veteran leader Haroon Yusuf will contest from Ballimaran, Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav from Badli, and former state chief Anil Kumar from Patparganj. Abhishek Dutt, a rising figure in the party, will run from Kasturba Nagar. Notably, Seelampur MLA Abdul Rahman, who recently resigned from AAP to join Congress, has been fielded from the same constituency.

The list includes 12 first-time candidates, signalling the party’s intent to inject fresh energy into its campaign. Key names among them are Mudit Aggarwal from Chandni Chowk, Aruna Kumar from Narela, and Shivank Singhal from Adarsh Nagar. Prominent party members Jai Kishan, Ragini Nayak, and Anil Bharadwaj will contest from Sultanpur Majra, Wazirpur, and Sadar Bazar, respectively.

Mudit Aggarwal’s candidature from Chandni Chowk is particularly notable, given his political lineage — his father Jai Prakash Agarwal has been a three-time MP from the same area.

The announcement follows Congress’s month-long Delhi Nyay Yatra, which canvassed all 70 constituencies to gather voter feedback.

Congress leaders highlighted the diversity of the first list, emphasising representation across age groups, minorities, and social categories.

Delhi Congress president Devendra Yadav said: “You can see old faces and young people in the list. All groups of people, minorities, OBCs and all categories of people are represented. Women have been provided adequate representation. I will also fight the election. We are not among those who run away from battles. The second list will also be issued soon,” he added.

Qazi Nizamuddin, AICC in-charge of Delhi said: “Over the last decade, Delhi has been ruined. People of Delhi have suffered a lot. Both the BJP and the AAP engage in blame game and people are suffering. People will teach a lesson to both these parties. CEC meeting took place and screening committee have finalised the first list of candidates.”

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor has said that there is nothing unexpected in Congress’s list. “The experience of the old 2013 and the recent 2024 Lok Sabha elections shows that the Congress joins hands with the AAP at the last minute. We hope that the Congress will contest the elections at the last minute and will not run away by forming an alliance with AAP,” he added.