The Tribune Special: 47% Delhi Assembly members first-time MLAs, 85% from BJP

Nearly half of the newly elected Delhi Assembly members are first-timers with 33 making the cut, a majority of them from the BJP that swept the polls.

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Of the 33 first-timers, 85 per cent — 28 — are from the ruling BJP and five from the AAP.

Among the first-timers is former BJP Delhi chief Satish Upadhyay, who is making his debut as an MLA from Malviya Nagar.

Harish Khurana, son of former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana (of the BJP), is also among the first-time MLAs, representing Moti Nagar.

Three of the five AAP first-time MLAs are sons of former legislators — Aaley Mohammad Iqbal from Matia Mahal (son of six-time MLA Shoib Iqbal), Punardeep Singh Sahney from Chandni Chowk (son of former MLA Parlad Singh Sahney), and Choudhary Zubair Ahmad from Seelampur (son of ex-MLA Mateen Ahmad).

In positive signs for women’s representation, all four female MLAs of the BJP — Rekha Gupta from Shalimar Bagh, Shikha Rai from Greater Kailash, Poonam Sharma from Wazirpur, and Neelam Pehalwan from Najafgarh — are first-time legislators.

The youngest and oldest MLAs in the new Assembly are also from the BJP. Umang Bajaj, 32, an engineer by profession, secured the Rajinder Nagar seat and is the youngest MLA this year, while Tilak Ram Gupta, 73, who won from Tri Nagar, is the oldest. Both represent the saffron camp.

Additionally, seasoned lawyer Surya Prakash Khatri from the BJP enters the Assembly for the first time as an MLA of the Timarpur Assembly constituency.

The Delhi Assembly also sees the debut of 11 councillors, with three from AAP — Aaley Mohammad Iqbal, Punardeep Singh Sahney, and Prem Chauhan — and eight from the BJP — Rekha Gupta, Gajender Singh Drall, Poonam Sharma, Neelam Pehalwan, Umang Bajaj, Chandan Kumar Choudhary, Shikha Rai and Ravinder Singh Negi.

These new faces bring a mix of fresh energy and experience to the Delhi Assembly, shaping the next chapter of the city’s political journey.