New Delhi Constituency: Seat Of Power, Political Legacy, And Importance
The New Delhi constituency, the seat of AAP national convenor and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, witnessed increase in nominations this time. Aside from Kejriwal, 22 candidates have submitted nomination including Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit and BJP’s Parvesh Verma. As Kejriwal fights to retain a third consecutive term from the constituency, Dikshit and Verma makes the battle a fierce triangular one.
The contest for New Delhi seat is also interesting because two former chief minister’s sons are contesting against AAP chief this time. The Congress nominee Sandeep Dikshit, is the son of late Sheila Dikshit, three-time Delhi Chief Minister and Parvesh Verma is the son of late BJP politician and former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma.
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For Sandeep, the political battle is personal and it is about retaining once family stronghold and legacy. In 2013 Assembly election, Kejriwal won the New Delhi seat by trouncing sitting MP Sheila Dikshit. Congress failed to retrieve the seat in the successive election. Sandeep is known for his staunch criticism of Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP. He represented the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency in 2004 and 2009. Before entering into politics, he served as the chief of social development group Sanket Information and Research Agency Private Limited and faculty member at O. P. Jindal Global University.
Parvesh Verma, known for his aggressive approach in election campaigns and controversial remarks, is a former West Delhi MP. In his political debut from the Mehrauli constituency in the 2013 Delhi Assembly election, he defeated the AAP candidate Narinder Singh Sejwal and sitting MLA Yoganand Shastri. He has also served as the member of the Delhi BJP election committee for the then assembly polls. Verma made his debut in the Lok Sabha with the successful contest from West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency in the 2014 polls. Verma won the seat with defeating AAP candidate Jarnail Singh by a margin of 2,68,586 votes. In the 2019 election, he retained the seat by breaking his own record as a candidate garnering highest victory margin in Delhi.
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New Delhi seat is definitely a symbol of power and of political importance. In 2013, Kejriwal a newbie in the electoral front won the seat by a margin of over 25,000. Though formed government under his helm, it was a short-lived one. He resigned from the position, when his party failed to pass Lokpal Bill in the assembly. However, in the 2015, and 2020 elections, he were able to replicate victory in the seat by garnering a margin of 31,583 votes and 21,697 votes, respectively. Among the rivals in the electoral field, slew of welfare schemes introduced by Kejriwal during his terms places him slightly in a advantageous position. However, allegations over liquor policy case and the fatigue over 10-year term also pose as a huge threat over his chances.
