Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bansuri Swaraj won by 78,370 votes in her electoral debut from the New Delhi constituency in the Lok Sabha election, according to the ECI.
A lawyer for 15 years, Bansuri, who is carrying forward the legacy of her late mother and former Union minister Sushma Swaraj, was in a close contest with Aam Aadmi Party’s Somnath Bharti as early results began to trickle in.
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She entered politics in March 2023 with her appointment as co-convenor of the Delhi BJP’s legal department. The BJP named her for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in place of incumbent MP and union minister Meenakshi Lekhi, who had won the seat twice.
In 2019, Lekhi had defeated Congress’ Ajay Maken with a margin of 27.86%. She secured a vote share of 54.77%, while her opponent Maken managed to get 26.91%.
Lekhi had won the seat in 2014 also, when Narendra Modi was elected Prime Minister for the first time. She faced off against Aam Aadmi Party’s Ashish Khetan, who lost to her by a margin of 16.78%.
Bansuri Swaraj has been a vocal critic of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. She has repeatedly described the Delhi government as "useless," accusing the AAP party of poor performance in the national capital.
After completing bachelor’s in English Literature at the University of Warwick, Swaraj pursued legal studies at the BPP Law School in London. She qualified as a Barrister at Law and was called to the bar by the Inn of Inner Temple, London.
As a member of the Bar Council of India since 2007, Bansuri has extensive experience in criminal trials, tax matters, real estate, and contract disputes.
Also read: Interview: Bansuri Swaraj dismisses allegations of ‘dynastic politics’
Established in 1951, New Delhi constituency went to polls in the sixth phase on May 25 and recorded a vote turnout of 55.4%. The Lok Sabha polls for 543 seats were held in seven phases starting from April 19, with the last phase on June 1.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking a rare third term at the Centre with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.