While former CM Arvind Kejriwal and his party leaders are trying to retain power in the national capital, their strong opponent, the saffron party, has fielded its seasoned leaders from important seats to finally gain control over the Delhi state assembly.
Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 is going to be a head to head contest between the major Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party candidates. While former CM Arvind Kejriwal and his party leaders are trying to retain power in the national capital, their strong opponent, the saffron party has fielded their seasoned leaders from the important seats to finally gain control over Delhi state assembly.
The Delhi assembly polls are scheduled for February 5 while the votes will be counted on February 8, 2025.
1. Arvind Kejriwal - Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal rose to prominence during the Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption movement and represented the New Delhi constituency for over a decade. His previous victories were marked by significant margins, including a 21,687-vote lead in the 2020 elections.
His core voter base, consisting of lower-middle-class workers, street vendors, auto-rickshaw drivers, etc, still seems largely intact. AAP's welfare schemes, such as free bus services for women, remain popular among voters. The promise of monthly allowances, such as Rs 2,100 for women, has also drawn attention.
Kejriwal was arrested in Delhi excise Policy Scam in 2024 and was granted bail later while the Enforcement Directorate continues to probe the case of money laundering that involves other AAP leaders along with Kejriwal.
The former Delhi CM in the election affidavit declared a family net worth of Rs 4.2 crore including his personal wealth of Rs 1.73 crore.
Kejriwal will contest BJP's Parvesh Verma and Congress' Sandeep Dikshit in New Delhi seat.
2. Atishi - Delhi's third woman Chief Minister, Atishi, who took over from Arvind Kejriwal after his resignation last September, filed her nomination from Kalkaji seat. She declared a net worth of Rs 76.93 lakh, with no car or house in her name. AAP has won the Kalkaji seat in the last two elections and is aiming for a third victory in next month's polls.
3. Saurabh Bharadwaj - The chief spokesperson for AAP바카라™s Delhi unit, Bharadwaj has been fielded from Greater Kailash seat where he also won in 2013, 2015, and 2020 polls. A key member of AAP, Bharadwaj has been recognized for his environmental and urban initiatives, which resonate with voters in the constituency. He is aiming for his fourth win in this election. He filed his nomination for the Greater Kailash seat and declared a family net worth of Rs1.48 crore.
The BJP has fielded Shikha Rai, while Congress has chosen Garvit Singhvi as its candidate for the seat.
4. Satyendra Jain - Senior AAP leader Satyendra Jain is likely the wealthiest among the top leaders in the party. He is the party's candidate for Shakur Basti, a seat he has won in the last three elections. Jain, who was the former health minister, has declared his family's assets to be worth Rs 8.8 crore.
5. Manish Sisodia - Manish Sisodia, former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, filed his nomination for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections from the Jangpura constituency. During his tenure, he managed key departments like Education, Finance, Women and Child Development, and more. In the 2015 elections, Sisodia won the Patparganj seat by a margin of 28,761 votes. Prior to politics, he was a journalist with Zee News and All India Radio and played a key role in the Right to Information (RTI) movement and the Jan Lokpal Movement. He is a long-time associate of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.
6. Durgesh Pathak - Pathak is a close aide of Kejriwal and a senior member of the political affairs committee, along with his role as the National Executive in charge of AAP. He has been fielded from the Rajinder Nagar seat, where MP Raghav Chadha had previously won from.
7. Somnath Bharti - AAP 's candidate from Malviya Nagar, Bharti comes with the backing of winning 3 consequent elections. The former lawyer was appointed Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee by the Delhi Legislative Assembly. His opponents in this contest are BJP바카라™s Satish Upadhyay and Congress바카라™ Jitendra Kumar Kochar.
8. Pradeep Mittal - AAP has fielded Mittal from Rohini, the seat won by Mittal's opponent BJP candidate Vijender Gupta. In 2020, the margin of Gupat's votes were 12,000 and this time, Mittal faces a big challenge.
9. Amanatullah Khan - Khan is running from the Okhla constituency for the 3rd consecutive time from AAP, and he has established an image of being vocal about issues in the past. But Khan got involved in several cases over the last year, and he might be giving a tough fight to BJP's Manish Chaudhary.
10. Gopal Rai - Delhi Minister Gopal Rai is running from Babarpur for the third time. Earlier this constituency was a BJP stronghold but Rai defeated former MLA Naresh Gaur in 2015 and 2020. He is contesting this seat against BJP's Anil Vashishth this time.
1. Parvesh Verma - Bharatiya Janata Party fielded son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, Parvesh Verma from New Delhi seat. Earlier, Verma has made contentatious remarks against religious minorities especially during 2020 elections, promoting the Citizenship Amendment Act, he accused Muslims of posing a 'threat' to Hindus. Reportedly, in 2022 he called for 'complete boycott' of the Muslim community. Parvesh Verma declared a family net worth of Rs 115 crore after filing for nomination. He has been a two-time MP from West Delhi constituency.
2. Ramesh Bidhuri - BJP fielded Ramesh Bidhuri from Kalkaji seat after his three-time win from Tughlakabad. After filing for nomination, Bidhuri declared a net worth of Rs 14.87 crore. Ramesh Bidhuri currently serves as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of Parliament on Petroleum and Natural Gas. Bidhuri has been actively participating in politics since his college days at Delhi University. Later, he served as a councillor on the executive council of DU. He has also made several remarks against religious minorities earlier which have sparked debate in the political circles including 'derogatory' remarks against BSP MP Danish Ali during a Lok Sabha session in 2023.
3. Vijender Gupta - BJP바카라™s two-time winner, Vijender Gupta, will contest for the Rohini seat for a third time in the upcoming elections, facing AAP candidate Pradeep Mittal. Gupta won the seat in 2020 by over 12,000 votes, defeating AAP바카라™s Rajesh Nama 'Bansiwala.' A prominent figure in the Rohini area, Gupta has played a key role in shaping Rohini into a model municipal unit. He also has strong support from the BJP, having served as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly since April 2015.
4. Raaj Kumar Anand - AAP has maintained a strong presence in Patel Nagar since the 2013 elections. However, the candidate who won the last election for AAP, Raaj Kumar Anand, will be contesting this year from the BJP. His opponent, Pravesh Ratan, who ran against Anand as the BJP candidate in the 2020 elections, will now face him as the AAP candidate.
5. Ravinder Singh Negi - Negi is currently serving as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) councillor in Vinod Nagar which is a part of the Patparganj Assembly constituency. He fielded from Parpatganj against AAP바카라™s Awadh Ojha and Congress바카라™ Anil Kumar.
6. Tarvinder Singh Marwah - Marwah is a three-time MLA from Jangpura as a Congress leader but he joined BJP in 2022. Meanwhile AAP nominated MAnish Sisodia from this seat.
7. Satish Upadhyay - Upadhyay has served as the Chairman of the Education Committee of the SDMC for two terms and was fielded by the BJP from Malviya Nagar this time.
8. Kailash Gehlot - Gehlot who served as a Delhi Minister under the AAP government, joined BJP in 2024 and was nominated by the party from Najafgarh constituency which has been his bastion. AAP has fielded social worker Tarun Yadav from this seat.
9. Kapil Mishra - Kapil Mishra, 44, will contest the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections from Karawal Nagar as the BJP candidate. He has three cases filed against him currently for allegedly inciting violence and has a record of making inflammatory remarks. Mishra's total assets amount to Rs 1.1 crore.
10. Shikha Rai - BJP candidate Shikha Rai is facing Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj in Greater Kailash where the AAP has won three times consecutively.
1. Alka Lamba - Congress candidate Alka Lamba has expressed her focus on women바카라™s social and economic empowerment, and she has also led student union committees. when she joined the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student바카라™s wing of the Congress, during her stint at Delhi University in the mid-1990s. Lamba shifted to Aam Aadmi Party in 2014 and served as their spokesperson and campaigner. But she joined back Congress in 2019 and later in 2020 polls she was fielded from from Chandni Chowk but failed to win. This time Lamba faces Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri in Kalkaji. Lamba filed her nomination and declared a net worth of Rs 3.41 crore.
2. Sandeep Dikshit - Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit, , the son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is running against AAP's Arvind Kejriwal and BJP's Parvesh Verma. Reportedly, in his campaign pamphlet, Dikshit highlighted his academic background and achievements as a parliamentarian, including contributing to 140 "transformative" infrastructure projects. Before losing to BJP's Maheish Giri in 2014, he was elected as the MP for East Delhi for two consecutive terms. However, contesting in New Delhi is new for Dikshit, making it an unfamiliar challenge for him. He filed his nomination papers recently and he declared a net worth of Rs 11.12 crore.
3. Satish Luthra - BJP fielded Luthra from the Rithala seat which has been an AAP stronghold. Luthra's opponent Satyendra Jain has won from this seat both in 2015 and 2020. He is a businessman with a net worth of Rs 72.5 crore.
4. Devender Yadav - Congress' Delhi unit chief Yadav is running from Badli for this election against BJP's Deepak Chaudhary. Yadav has a criminal record and has declared a net worth of Rs 48.4 crore.
5. Farhad Suri - Congress leader Farhad Suri is fighting against AAP's Manish Sisodia from Jangpura seat. Suri is a senior Congress leader and a former Delhi mayor.
6. Asim Khan - Former AAP leader from Matia Mahal, Khan quit the party and joined Congress in 2024 and is running from the same seat with a different ticket for this term.
7. Devinder Sehrawat - A former AAP MLA, Sehrawat is contesting from the Bijwasan seat on a Congress ticket this time after he switched parties last year. Sehrawat has been part of other parties including BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena.
8. Krishna Tirath - Former Union minister Tirath is contesting for the polls from Patel Nagar on Congress ticket.
9. Ariba Khan - Congress fielded Ariba Khan, daughter of party's senior leader Asif Mohammad Khan from Okhla seat. Asif Mohammad Khan has previously served Okhla as the MLA before losing to AAP's Amanatullah Khan in 2015.
10. Jitendra Kumar Kochar - Congress fielded Kochar from Malviya Nagar against BJP's Satish Upadhyay and two-time winner AAP's Somnath Bharti. Kochar has business background and during filing his nomination he declared a net worth of Rs 20.6 crore.
Another important candidate in the delhi Assembly elections race is former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) AAP councillor and 2020 Delhi riots accused Tahir Hussain. He was out on a six-day custody parole granted by the Supreme Court earlier this week. He is contesting on an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) ticket from Mustafabad.
He addressed his supporters with a couplet, "deke vote tum apna mujhe, zindagi de dena" (by giving me your vote, give me life).
Hussain is an accused in a case connected to the death of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma in the violence that broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, leaving 53 people dead and several injured.
In the Mustafabad assembly race, major political parties have fielded prominent candidates. The BJP has nominated Mohan Singh Bisht, a sitting MLA from neighboring Karawal Nagar, while AAP is represented by Adil Ahmad Khan, who has been associated with the party since the Anna Hazare movement. The Congress has fielded Ali Mehdi, son of former MLA Hasan Mehdi.