Published 09:00 IST, February 8th 2020
Delhi Elections 2020 Key battles: Arvind Kejriwal to Tajinder Bagga & New Delhi to Bawana
As Delhi votes to either give AAP another shot to power or opt for BJP, here are the key constituencies that you should watch out for that'll shape the election
Delhi began voting at 8 am on Saturday to elect a new government. The contest is being pitted as a direct fight between the ruling Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party and BJP. AAP is hoping to repeat a stellar performance it gave in 2015 by winning 67 of the 70 Assembly seats. For the BJP, it is a matter of prestige to win the national capital following months of anti-government unrest directed at the Centre over a host of issues.
Here are the key contests:
New Delhi
AAP: Arvind Kejriwal
BJP: Sunil Yadav
Congress: Romesh Sabharwal
Uttam Nagar
AAP: Naresh Balyan
BJP: Krishan Gehlot
RJD: Shakti Kumar Bishnoi
Dwarka
AAP: Vinay Kumar Mishra
BJP: Praduman Rajput
Congress: Adarsh Shastri
Matiala
AAP: Gulab Singh Yadav
BJP: Rajesh Gehlot
Congress: Sumesh Shokeen
Najafgarh
AAP: Kailash Gahlot
BJP: Ajit Kharkhari
Congress: Sahib Singh Yadav
Bijwasan
AAP: BS Joon
BJP: Satyaprakash Rana
Congress: Parveen Rana
Palam
AAP: Bhavna Gaur
BJP: Vijay Pandit
Congress: Niram Kumar Singh (RJD)
Delhi Cantt
AAP: Virender Singh Kadian
BJP: Manish Singh
Congress: Sandeep Tanwar
Rajinder Nagar
AAP: Raghav Chadha
BJP: RP Singh
Congress: Rocky Tuseed
Jangpura
AAP: Praveen Kumar
BJP: Impreet Singh Bakshi
Congress: Talvinder Singh Marwah
Seats that would be looked out for:
Timarpur
Here, the caste equations play a key role. The seat has a significant Punjabi Sikh population. It also holds a large migrant Muslim electorate. The seat is currently occupied by AAP's Pankaj Pushkar. On the ballot here are AAP's Dilip Pandey, BJP's Surendra Singh Bittu and Congress' Amar Lata Sangwan.
Bawana
This constituency is a traditional Jat heartland of Delhi. Dalits and Jats are an important voting bloc. Purvanchalis, natives of eastern UP, form 35% electorate. Ram Chander is the current MLA from here. On the ballot here are AAP's Jai Bhagwan Upkar, BJP's Ravindra Kumar Indraj and Congress' Surender Kumar.
Model Town
This seat is close to the Delhi University's North Campus and has a largely middle-class electorate. Candidates in the fray are AAP's Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, AAP-turned BJP leader Kapil Mishra and Congress' Akansha Ola.
Matia Mahal
This is a Muslim-dominated seat (40% of the electorate) and is currently represented by AAP strongman Asim Ahmed Khan. However, AAP this time has fielded Shoaih Ighal, BJP has Ravindra Gupta and Congress has put Mirza Javed Ali.
Ballimaran
Dalits and Muslims comprise 3/5th of the electorate. AAP's Imran Hussain is contesting for re-election and his primary challenge comes from Congress' Haroon Yusuf.
Hari Nagar
BJP's highly social-media-savvy leader Tajendra Pal Singh Bagga has made a poll debut here. Among key issues here are drinking water and garbage disposal. AAP has fielded Jagdeep Singh while Congress has put Surender Sethi.
Rajinder Nagar
A Punjabi-dominated seat, Rajinder Nagar also hosts a significant SC/ST and OBC population. Raghav Chadha, the chartered accountant-turned-politician and one of AAP's 39 star campaigners, is on the ballot here. BJP has fielded RP Singh while Congress has put Rocky Tuseed.
New Delhi
The most high profile contest where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is being challenged by BJP's Sunil Yada and Congress' Romesh Sabharwal.
Updated 09:00 IST, February 8th 2020