Delhi Election Results: BJP’s Umang Bajaj defeats AAP’s Durgesh Pathak in Rajinder Nagar

Delhi Election Results: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Naraina councillor, Umang Bajaj, pulled off a resounding victory against incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Durgesh Pathak from the Rajinder Nagar constituency.

Bajaj secured 46,671 votes, defeating the co-convener of the AAP with a margin of 1,231 votes. Apart from Pathak, Bajaj was pitted against Congress’ electoral debutant, Vineet Yadav.

The Congress lost out on an immense number of votes, securing 4,015 votes, while Pathak secured 45,440 votes.

Referred to as AAP’s “behind-the-scenes” man, Pathak had a petition demanding the nullification of his by-poll candidature dismissed by the Delhi High Court (HC) on February 4. The petition was filed by Ramesh Kumar Khatri, an independent candidate who contested the 2022 by-poll, claiming that Pathak engaged in “corrupt practices” for not maintaining proper accounts or accurately disclosing the expenditure incurred by him for the poll campaign.

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Accepting his defeat, Pathak addressed the voters of his constituency in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), stating that he would be at their disposal despite the results.

“I would like to congratulate all of them. I would like to say that I am always available for you, my phone number is the same, all my details are the same, and whatever problems you have, whatever issues you have, we will open our new office now. In a few days, we will give you its address, so you are all welcome anytime. Whenever you feel that I can do something for you, I can do some work for you, I can do anything for you, you are all welcome. I will consider myself lucky if I can do anything for you,” he said.

Nestled in the heart of Delhi, the constituency was initially a refuge for Punjabi migrants following the Partition. Over the years, it has transformed into a thriving educational hub, attracting thousands of students preparing for competitive exams, particularly the UPSC.

The constituency has within its fold 1,57,461 voters, of which 86,483 are male, 70,974 are female, and four belong to the third gender, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The area is lined with coaching centres, bookstores, libraries, restaurants, and numerous paying guest accommodations. However, this influx of students has not been embraced by all.

Long-time residents lament the changes in their once-peaceful neighbourhood. “Rajinder Nagar used to be a quiet residential colony, but now it’s overcrowded with students, leading to severe traffic congestion,” says Kartar Singh, a long-time resident.

Along with traffic woes, locals also face erratic water supply, overflowing sewers, and pothole-ridden roads—issues that extend to neighbouring areas like Pandav Nagar and Budh Nagar.

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Politically, Rajinder Nagar has seen a shift in power over the years. Once a BJP stronghold, the constituency flipped in favour of AAP in 2013 when Vijender Garg won with 53.59% of the vote. AAP further cemented its dominance in 2020 when Raghav Chadha won with 57.06%.

On a larger scale, Rajendra Nagar falls under the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, where the BJP’s Bansuri Swaraj secured her victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Similarly, BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi secured victories in both 2014 and 2019 by significant margins.