The battle for prestige in Delhi

The New Delhi constituency is among the smallest in the city, but it commands outsized attention, sharp rhetoric and controversies

- Paras Singh

NEW DELHI: Few seats in the upcoming elections carry as much drama, prestige, and political legacy as New Delhi—where a former chief minister and the ruling party's chief ministerial candidate is facing off against the sons of two former Delhi chief ministers.

This constituency has become a battlefield where AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal faces a fierce contest against Parvesh Verma of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sandeep Dikshit of the Congress.

Another fact that makes New Delhi critical is that this has historically served as the city's bellwether seat. In the 10 elections held since the assembly's establishment in 1993, the party winning here has invariably gone on to form the government. Since 1998, every victor of this seat has held the chief minister's office.

This makes the seat the home to the ultimate battle of prestige in 2025. With approximately 109,000 voters, the New Delhi constituency is among the smallest in the Capital. Yet, it commands outsized attention, with parties pouring disproportionate resources into a campaign marked by sharp rhetoric and a series of controversies.

The candidates

Arvind Kejriwal, 56, the AAP chief, seeks a fourth consecutive term. A retired bureaucrat-turned-politician, Kejriwal first entered the electoral fray in 2013, defeating three-term chief minister Sheila Dikshit by a significant margin. Since then, he has established a strong electoral base, securing victories in 2015 and 2020 with vote margins of 31,583 and 21,697, respectively. His journey from an anti-corruption crusader to the head of Delhi's government has been marked by both disruption and dominance. This time, however, Kejriwal faces a more formidable contest.