NEW DELHI: In a high-stakes electoral move, the Congress on Thursday announced Sandeep Dikshit, son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, as its candidate from the New Delhi constituency. The seat is currently held by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and former Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal.
The decision was taken during a Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting, chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The announcement is seen as a symbolic attempt by Congress to reclaim the constituency where Kejriwal defeated Sheila Dikshit in 2013, ending her 15-year tenure as CM.
The candidacy of Sandeep Dikshit in New Delhi by the party is seen as both symbolic and strategic move, given the legacy of Sheila Dikshit and her contributions to Delhi's development during her tenure.
Besides, the CEC cleared the first list total of 21 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections having a mix of experienced leaders and fresh talent.
Among them are prominent names such as Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav, who will contest from Badli, and former Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary, who will take on celebrity educationist and now AAP's candidate Awadh Ojha in Patparganj.
Other key candidates include Ragini Nayak from Wazirpur, Abhishek Dutt from Kasturba Nagar, and Haroon Yusuf from Ballimaran.
Mudit Agarwal, son of senior Congress leader JP Agarwal, has been made a candidate from Chandni Chowk. His father had previously contested the same parliamentary constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha election but was defeated by BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal.
The party has also fielded Abdul Rehman, a sitting MLA from Seelampur and an AAP rebel who joined Congress recently.
Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav expressed satisfaction with the candidate selection process. “All sections of society have been represented. Several fresh faces have been given opportunities,” he said, adding that the leadership finalized the list after extensive deliberations.
Dismissing speculation of a tie-up with AAP, Yadav reaffirmed Congress’ decision to contest independently. “As of now, there is no scope for any alliance. We are confident about our prospects,” he said.