Delhi polls: BJP releases second list of 29 candidates

The BJP on Saturday unveiled its second list of 29 candidates for the Delhi Assembly elections, including Kapil Mishra, a former AAP leader, who will contest from Karawal Nagar.

Harish Khurana, son of former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana, has been fielded from the Moti Nagar constituency.

With this announcement, the BJP has declared candidates for 58 of the 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly.

The elections are scheduled for February 5, with vote counting set for February 8.

Mishra, who has replaced sitting MLA Mohan Singh Bisht, has been accused by rival parties of making inflammatory speeches prior to the February 2020 communal riots in northeast Delhi.

Sitting BJP MLA Abhay Verma will seek reelection from the Laxmi Nagar seat, which he won in 2020 by a narrow margin of over 800 votes.

Both Mishra and Verma belong to the Purvanchali community, as do two other candidates: Bajrang Shukla from Kirari and Pankaj Singh from Vikaspuri.

Karnail Singh, head of Delhi BJP’s Mandir Prakoshth (temple cell), has been fielded from Shakoor Basti to contest against sitting AAP MLA and former minister Satyendar Jain.

Former Kasturba Nagar MLA Neeraj Basoya, who recently switched from Congress to the BJP, has been fielded from the same seat.

Also Read: Delhi Polls: Could BJP’s bastion in city sway this time?

Pawan Sharma, former Delhi BJP general secretary (organization), will contest from Uttam Nagar, a seat he won in 2013.

The party’s women candidates so far include Deepti Indora (Matia Mahal), Urmila Kailash Gangwar (Madipur, SC), Shweta Saini (Tilak Nagar), Priyanka Gautam (Kondli, SC), and Neelam Pahalwan (Najafgarh).

The list also includes four former MLAs and eight sitting municipal councillors. Former mayor Shyam Sharma will contest from Hari Nagar, which has a significant Sikh population.

The BJP is expected to announce candidates for the remaining 12 seats, including Delhi Cantt, Greater Kailash, and Shahdara, soon.

Party sources revealed that former Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi was considered for the Greater Kailash seat, though she had expressed interest in contesting from Delhi Cantt.

(With inputs from PTI)