 "Delhi elections: 719 candidates in fray as nomination withdrawal ends today")
The Election Commission (EC) has announced that 719 candidates will contest the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections on February 5 across 70 constituencies.
Out of 1,522 nomination papers filed by 981 candidates, 477 were rejected during scrutiny on January 18. The deadline for submitting nominations was January 17, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until January 20.
The New Delhi constituency has the highest number of candidates, with 23 contenders. On the other hand, Patel Nagar and Kasturba Nagar have the lowest, with just five candidates each.
In a noteworthy development, 29 candidates filed 40 nominations for the New Delhi seat, the highest in any constituency. Arvind Kejriwal (AAP), the former Delhi chief minister, will compete against BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit, both sons of former Delhi chief ministers.
Rural and unauthorised colony constituencies saw an uptick in nominations, with Matiala receiving 25 nominations and Burari 22. Other constituencies, such as Mundka, Rohtas Nagar, and Laxmi Nagar, also saw more than 20 candidates. The BJP has given up the Burari seat to its ally, Janata Dal (United), led by Nitish Kumar.
Kasturba Nagar saw the lowest nominations, with six candidates filing a total of nine papers. Key contenders include Ramesh Pahalwan (AAP), Neeraj Basoya (BJP), and Abhishek Dutt (Congress).
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With polling day approaching, Delhi’s political landscape is heating up. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which secured 62 out of 70 seats in the 2020 Assembly elections, aims to maintain its stronghold. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeks to expand its reach beyond the eight seats it won last time, while the Congress is hoping for a revival after suffering defeats in the last two elections.
The election will take place in a single phase on February 5, and the vote counting will be held on February 8.
Delhi Assembly elections 2025
Date of issue of gazette notification: January 10
Last date of nominations: January 17
Date for scrutiny of nominations: January 18
Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: January 20
Date of poll: February 5
Date of counting: February 8
Date before which election shall be completed: February 10