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Lok Sabha elections 2019: A look at the contests in Delhi
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had swept all seven seats. This time around, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party are trying their level best to make a dent in the BJP’s fortunes in the national capital.
Among the 59 constituencies that will go to vote in the phase 6 of the Lok Sabha elections will be the keenly watched seven parliamentary constituencies of Delhi.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had swept all seven seats. This time around, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party are trying their level best to make a dent in the BJP’s fortunes in the national capital.
Here’s a look at the contests in each of the seven Lok Sabha constituencies of Delhi.
West Delhi
In the ring: Parvesh Varma (BJP), Mahabal Mishra (Congress), Balbir Singh Jakhar (AAP)
Quick Take: In the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, BJP has fielded Parvesh Verma, the son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma. The 43-year-old Parvesh had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election with the highest margin. An MBA degree holder, he will be banking on his father’s legacy and his Jat connection to score a win over the Congress’s veteran leader Mahabal Mishra, who had won the Lok Sabha election in 2009 from the constituency. Mishra is Congress’s only Purvanchali candidate and had played an important role in the settlementof unauthorised colonies such as Sagarpur, Palam and Dabri. The third candidate contesting from the seat is AAP’s Balbir Singh Jakhar. A lawyer by profession, Jakhar is fighting his first election.
Northeast Delhi
In the ring: Manoj Tiwari (BJP), Sheila Dikshit (Congress), Dilip Pandey (AAP)
Quick Take: In Northeast Delhi, the main contestants are BJP’s Manoj Tiwari and veteran Congress leader and three-time Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. A popular Bhojpuri singer and actor before joining politics, Manoj Tiwari is a two-time MP, while Sheila Dikshit, on whom the Congress is pinning all its hopes, has been given charge of the Congress’s Delhi unit and is a three-time MLA and two-time MP. Pitted against them is AAP’s Dilip Pandey, a comptuer engineer by profession, who is contesting his first election this time around.
South Delhi
In the ring: Ramesh Bidhuri (BJP), Vijender Singh (Congress), Raghav Chadha (AAP)
Quick Take: In South Delhi, the battle for votes appears slightly skewed with both the Congress and the AAP fielding debutants against the BJP’s three-time MLA Ramesh Bidhuri. While the Congress has fielded professional boxer Vijender Singh as its candidate from the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, the AAP has fielded Raghav Chadha, a chartered accountant who completed his post-graduate studies in London School of Economics.
Chandni Chowk
In the ring: Harsh Vardhan (BJP), JP Agarwal (Congress), Pankaj Gupta (AAP)
Quick Take: In the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP and the Congress have fielded their veteran leaders Harsh Vardhan and JP Agarwal respectively. While Harsh Vardhan has been a four-time MLA and a one-time MP, Agarwal has been a four-time MP. Going up against these veterans will be AAP’s debutant Pankaj Gupta a software professional and an engineering graduate.
Northwest Delhi
In the ring: Hans Raj Hans (BJP), Rajesh Lilothia (Congress), Gugan Singh (AAP)
Quick Take: Punjabi pop and sufi singer Hans Raj Hans will be testing his luck in the elections on a BJP ticket from the Northwest Delhi seat. He will go up against Congress leader Rajesh Lilothia, who has been a two-time former MLA and is one of the three working presidents of the party. Also contesting from the seat is AAP’s Gugan Singh.
East Delhi
In the Ring: Atishi (AAP), Gautam Gambhir (BJP), Arvinder Singh Lovely (Congress)
Quick Take: East Delhi senior Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely, who is a three-time MLA, will go up against new comers Gautam Gabhir who is contesting on a BJP ticket and AAP leader Atishi.
New Delhi
In the ring: Meenakshi Lekhi (BJP), Ajay Maken (Congress), Brijesh Goyal (AAP)
Quick Take: The New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency is likely to see a close contest between the BJP and the Congress with senior leaders Meenakshi Lekhi of the BJP and Congress’s Ajay Maken squaring off against each other. AAP’s Brijesh Goyal is the third main contestant from the seat.
