Delhi Assembly Election Dates Likely to be Announced Next Week: Sources

Delhi Elections: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to hold a preparatory meeting this week to finalize arrangements for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, scheduled for early next year. 

Sources indicate that the official poll dates are likely to be announced shortly after the meeting. 

There will be a fight between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ), and the Congress.

AAP has already announced candidates for all 70 assembly constituencies. Arvind Kejriwal will contest from his traditional New Delhi seat, while Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is set to fight from Kalkaji.  

AAP’s candidate showed 16 sitting MLAs dropped and 10 turncoats included—seven from the BJP and three from Congress. 

The party has also fielded family members in three constituencies and swapped candidates in two others. 

Prominent names such as Gopal Rai, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Amanatullah Khan, and Somnath Bharti are expected to lead AAP’s charge in key constituencies.  

Taking aim at the BJP, Kejriwal said on X, “BJP is missing. They have no CM face, no team, no planning, and no vision for Delhi. Their only mission is ‘Remove Kejriwal.’ Ask them what they did in five years, and they reply, ‘Cursed Kejriwal a lot.’”

The BJP is intensifying its strategy to challenge AAP’s dominance. With over 2,000 applications for tickets, the BJP has shortlisted three probables per constituency. The party is expected to focus on fresh faces, including women and youth leaders with strong grassroots support. Leaders who have faced multiple defeats are likely to be dropped.  

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva highlighted the party’s efforts to mobilize support in slum clusters, traditionally seen as AAP strongholds. 

The final candidate list would likely be announced by the end of December.