699 candidates in fray for Delhi Assembly polls

As many as 699 candidates are in the fray for the February 5 polls to the 70-member Delhi Assembly, marking a slight increase from the number of people who fought the elections in 2020. Five years ago, 672 candidates were in the fray for Delhi Assembly polls.

According to the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer, New Delhi — where AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal is locked in a keen contest against BJP's Parvesh Verma and the Congress' Sandeep Dikshit — has the highest number of nominees at 23.

Janakpuri follows New Delhi with 16 candidates, while Rohtas Nagar, Karawal Nagar and Laxmi Nagar have 15 candidates each.

In contrast, Patel Nagar and Kasturba Nagar have the lowest number of candidates at five each. In 2020, the Patel Nagar seat, which is reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, had the lowest number of contestants at just four.

Out of the 70 Assembly constituencies, 38 seats have less than 10 candidates. Notable Assembly segments like Tilak Nagar, Mangolpuri and Greater Kailash have six candidates each, while Chandni Chowk, Rajendra Nagar and Malviya Nagar each have seven contestants.

The AAP and the Congress have fielded candidates in all 70 seats, while the BJP is contesting 68, leaving two seats for its allies — the Janata Dal (United) and Loktantrik Jan Shakti Party. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has nominated candidates in 69 constituencies.

A total of 1,522 nomination documents were submitted by 981 candidates during the week-long nomination window, which commenced on January 10. The final count was determined after scrutiny on January 18, followed by the last date for withdrawal on January 20.

The elections will be held on February 5 and the results will be declared on February 8.