The stage is set for the high-stakes Delhi Assembly election 2025, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Congress battling for power. The AAP is aiming for a third consecutive term, while BJP and Congress are determined to regain lost ground. As result day approaches, several key constituencies and candidates are drawing attention, making this one of the most closely watched elections in recent years.
Key constituencies to watch
New Delhi
Arvind Kejriwal continues his tradition of contesting from the New Delhi seat, maintaining a streak that spans the last three Assembly elections. He faces BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit. Kejriwal, who won by 21,687 votes in 2020, is banking on AAP’s welfare schemes, including a Rs 2,100 monthly allowance for women, as a key election plank.
Malviya Nagar
AAP’s Somnath Bharti is contesting from Malviya Nagar once again, having won the last three elections with significant margins. Bharti, who secured over 50 per cent of the vote share in 2015 and 2020, faces BJP’s Satish Upadhyay and Congress’ Jitendra Kumar Kochar.
Rohini
Rohini constituency is set for a fierce contest between AAP and BJP. BJP’s two-time winner Vijender Gupta (2015, 2020) is seeking a third term against AAP’s Pradeep Mittal. In 2020, Gupta defeated AAP’s Rajesh Nama ‘Bansiwala’ by over 12,000 votes.
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Ballimaran
A traditional stronghold for Muslim candidates, Ballimaran is a key seat in the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency. AAP has once again nominated Imran Hussain, while Congress has fielded veteran leader Haroon Yusuf. BJP has replaced its 2020 candidate with Kamal Bagri, who won a Delhi Municipal Corporation seat in 2022.
Shakur Basti
BJP has fielded Karnail Singh, chief of its Delhi Mandir Prakoshth (temple cell), against senior AAP leader Satyendar Jain, making Shakur Basti constituency a high-profile contest.
Patparganj
A stronghold for the AAP, Patparganj was represented by Manish Sisodia for three consecutive terms. This year, AAP has nominated Awadh Ojha, who will face BJP’s Ravinder Singh Negi and Congress’ Anil Chaudhary. Before AAP’s dominance, Congress controlled the seat from 1998 to 2013. In 2020, Sisodia won with 70,163 votes.
Kalkaji
Kalkaji is witnessing a three-way battle between AAP, Congress, and BJP. AAP has fielded Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Singh against Congress’ Alka Lamba and BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri. The Kalkaji constituency has 1,94,515 voters. In 2020, Atishi defeated BJP’s Dharambir Singh by 11,393 votes.
Jangpura
AAP won Jangpura in 2015 and 2020 with Praveen Kumar. This year, the party has replaced him with Manish Sisodia, who will face Congress’ Tarvinder Singh Marwah and Farhad Suri. In 2020, AAP won by over 15,000 votes. Sisodia’s nomination is seen as part of AAP’s broader strategy to counter anti-incumbency.
Okhla
AAP’s Amanatullah Khan is contesting from Okhla for the third time. Congress has fielded Ariba Khan against him. In both 2015 and 2020, Khan won by margins exceeding 60,000 votes against BJP’s Braham Singh.