Setting the stage for a high-voltage political battle in the national capital, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday unveiled their lists of candidates for the Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) by-elections, slated to be held on November 30 across 12 wards.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said that the selection process was carried out after “extensive internal discussions” to ensure the best representation in each ward.
“We have ensured that the candidates are chosen purely on the basis of merit and winnability. Given our track record in the Centre, State, and MCD, we are confident of achieving a landslide victory,” Sachdeva stated.
Out of the BJP’s nominees, eight are women, reflecting the party’s focus on gender representation. Among the prominent names are Jaipal Singh Saral (Mundka), Anita Jain (Shalimar Bagh-B), Veena Asija (Ashok Vihar), Suman Kumar Gupta (Chandni Chowk), Sunil Sharma (Chandni Mahal), Manisha Rajpal Sehrawat (Dwarka-B), and Rekha Rani (Dhichaon Kalan). Others include Chandrakanta Shivani (Naraina), Rohini Raj (Dakshinpuri), Subhrajeet Gautam (Sangam Vihar-A), Anjum Mandal (Greater Kailash), and Sarla Chaudhary (Vinod Nagar).
Meanwhile, the Congress also announced its 12 candidates, with five women in the lineup. Key contenders include Mukesh (Mundka), Sarita Kumari (Shalimar Bagh-B), Vishakha Rani (Ashok Vihar), Ajay Kumar Jain (Chandni Chowk), Kunwar Shehzad Ahmed (Chandni Mahal), Sumita Malik (Dwarka-B), Rashmi Sharma (Dichau Kalan), Manoj Tanwar (Naraina), Suresh Choudhary (Sangam Vihar-A), Vikram (Dakshin Puri), Shikha Kapur (Greater Kailash), and Vinay Shankar Dubey (Vinod Nagar).
Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav expressed confidence that the people of Delhi would turn against both BJP and AAP.
“Heartiest congratulations and best wishes for victory to all Congress candidates declared today for the MCD by-elections. The people of Delhi, weary of misgovernance, unfulfilled promises, and empty rhetoric of the BJP-AAP, are looking to Congress with great confidence and hope,” Yadav wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also declared its list earlier in the day, treating the bypoll as a crucial opportunity to assess voter sentiment following its recent Assembly election setback. AAP’s list includes Ram Swaroop Kanojia (Dakshin Puri), Anuj Sharma (Sangam Vihar-A), Eeshna Gupta (Greater Kailash), Geeta Rawat (Vinod Nagar), and Babita Ahlawat (Shalimar Bagh-B). Other AAP nominees are Seema Vikas Goel (Ashok Vihar), Harsh Sharma (Chandni Chowk), Muddasir Usman Qureshi (Chandni Mahal), Rajbala Sehrawat (Dwarka-B), Anil Lakra (Mundka), Rajan Arora (Naraina), and Keshav Chauhan (Dichao Kalan).
According to the Election Commission’s schedule, the last date for filing nominations is November 10, with scrutiny on November 12 and withdrawal of nominations by November 15.
Currently, the BJP holds nine of the 12 wards, while AAP controls the remaining three. The Shalimar Bagh-B ward, earlier represented by Rekha Gupta, fell vacant after she won the Assembly election and assumed office as Delhi’s Chief Minister earlier this year.
