The BJP on Saturday unveiled its second list of 29 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections on Saturday, bringing the total announced names to 58 out of the 70 constituencies.
Kapil Mishra, a former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and now identified with hardline Hindutva politics, has been fielded from Karawal Nagar constituency, while sitting MLA Abhay Verma has been named the party’s candidate from Lakshmi Nagar seat.
The party has also fielded Neelam Pahalwan from Najafgarh, which is the constituency of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Kailash Gahlot. Notably, Gahlot, who left the AAP and joined the BJP last year after a fallout within the leadership, had been named as the party’s candidate from Bijswasan constituency.
Another prominent name in the BJP’s second candidate list is Harish Khurana, son of former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana, who has been fielded from the Moti Nagar constituency.
Kapil Mishra took to X and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leadership for his candidature and also exuded confidence of saffron’s party landslide win in the Delhi Assembly polls.
“I am very grateful to the respected Prime Minister Mr. @narendramodi ji, National President Mr. @JPNadda ji and the national and state leadership of the party for making me the BJP candidate from the holy land of Karawal Nagar on the sacred day of Ramlala’s Pran Pratishtha. This time saffron will wave in Delhi assembly, on 8 February a government of Ram devotees will be formed in Delhi,” Mishra posted.
Some of the prominent leaders who featured in the first list of candidates released by the BJP on January 4 include Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Verma, who will take on AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi constituency and BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri, who will contest against Delhi Chief Minister Atishi in Kalkaji.
Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Raaj Kumar Anand, who also joined the BJP this year, has been fielded by the party from Patel Nagar.
Delhi will vote for all 70 Assembly constituencies on February 5 and the results will be declared on February 8. The BJP, which has been out of power in the capital since 1998, is aiming for a comeback, while the AAP is seeking a third consecutive win.