NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday released its first list of 29 candidates for the 70-seat Delhi Assembly elections, featuring prominent leaders including Parvesh Verma, Ramesh Bidhuri, and Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
Parvesh, a former MP, has been fielded from New Delhi constituency, where he will lock horns with AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, bringing an end to speculation on which BJP bigwig will challenge the former chief minister.
The saffron party has named another former MP Ramesh Bidhuri from Kalkaji, where Chief Minister and AAP candidate Atishi is in the fray. This sets up a tri-cornered contest in the high-profile constituency with Congress leader Alka Lamba contesting from the same seat.
High-profile AAP defector Kailash Gahlot, who recently joined the BJP, has been nominated to contest from Brijwasan.
Arvinder Singh Lovely, who made a volte-face by returning to the BJP from Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has been fielded as the party's candidate from Gandhi Nagar.
The party has fielded its national office-bearers Dushyant Kumar Gautam and Ashish Sood from Karol Bagh and Janakpuri, respectively, while former Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay will contest from Malviya Nagar.
Only two women feature in the BJP's first list of 29 candidates.
The BJP's disclosure of nominees comes after AAP has already announced its full list, while Congress has also released many names.
Elections in the national capital are scheduled for February this year, with political experts anticipating the announcement of poll dates soon.
The ruling AAP is banking on its numerous poll promises, including Sanjeevni Yojana, Mahila Samman Yojana, and others, while the BJP has been accusing it of corruption, labeling its policies as "fraudulent."
Congress, an ally of AAP within the opposition's INDIA bloc, has also intensified its criticism, highlighting the failures of the Delhi government and accusing it of turning the city into a "gas chamber."
The BJP's first list of candidates comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kejriwal engaged in a heated exchange on Friday. The PM dubbed the Kejriwal-led AAP as a "aapda" (disaster) for Delhi and accused the former Delhi CM of constructing a "sheesh mahal" for himself.
In response, the AAP chief hit back, claiming that the BJP faces its own "aapda" in Delhi, as it lacks a chief ministerial face, a clear narrative, or any issue to present for the upcoming Assembly elections in the capital.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI and IANS)
