The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its first slate of 29 candidates for the 2025 Delhi Assembly Elections, setting the stage for intense political battles across the capital. Among the high-profile matchups, former MP Parvesh Verma has been fielded to contest against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency.
While BJP’s initial list grabs headlines, the AAP has already revealed its full roster of candidates for all 70 seats in the upcoming February elections, intensifying the pre-poll atmosphere in the city.
In Kalkaji, BJP has positioned former MP Ramesh Bidhuri to take on Delhi Chief Minister Atishi. Meanwhile, Kailash Gahlot, a recent defector from AAP to BJP, has secured a ticket to contest from Bijwasan. Gahlot has publicly criticized AAP’s "diluted values and principles" following his departure.
The Gandhinagar seat will see Arvinder Singh Lovely, a former minister in Sheila Dikshit’s cabinet, entering the fray as a BJP candidate. Lovely switched allegiances from Congress to BJP last year.
Other prominent names on the BJP’s list include Dushyant Gautam contesting from Karol Bagh and Manjinder Singh Sirsa from Rajouri Garden. In Patparganj, the BJP has named Ravinder Singh Negi, who will face off against AAP’s Avadh Ojha, a UPSC tutor making his political debut after replacing former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
The New Delhi constituency is gearing up for a three-way contest involving BJP’s Parvesh Verma, AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal, and Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit, son of former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit. Kejriwal has represented the seat since 2013, and this time, the stakes are higher than ever.
Verma, son of ex-Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma, has recently faced accusations from AAP, including claims of distributing cash to voters. AAP has lodged a formal complaint with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding these allegations, which Verma denies.
The AAP has dominated Delhi’s political landscape since 2015, with consecutive Assembly election victories. However, its performance in Lok Sabha polls has been lackluster, with no wins since 2014. For BJP, the upcoming elections represent a critical opportunity to challenge AAP’s stronghold in the national capital.
The stage is set for a fierce contest, with both parties eyeing key constituencies and shaping narratives to sway the electorate.