Delhi Congress unveils its Lok Sabha poll picks amid workers’ protest against ‘outsider’

Of Delhi’s seven seats, the Congress is fighting three and its ally, the Aam Aadmi Party, four.

Agarwal, a Congress stalwart emphasised his familiarity with the Chandni Chowk constituency, citing his multiple terms as a member of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. “It’s my luck that the party has allowed me to be a candidate for the Lok Sabha polls for the 10th time…”

Claiming the constituency has been neglected for the last 10 years under the BJP, Agarwal said if he wins, he would ensure he raises the voice of his people from the very first day.

Kanhaiya Kumar criticised the current government, citing inflation, unemployment, and widening economic disparities: “I feel that not only has the BJP decreased the pace of development that the UPA government had increased but they have transferred the country’s wealth into the coffers of the rich and elite.”

Talking about his previous tenure as a BJP MP from 2014-19, Udit Raj said, “… I got many projects approved in 2018, but since I was a part of the BJP at the time, they could never see the light of the day. I raised the issue of lack of Metro connectivity, stating that the public transit system should reach areas like Narela, Bawana, and Najafgarh. The project was approved during my tenure, but till now, no progress has taken place.”

Raj, who joined the Congress in 2019, said if he is elected, his priority would be to resume “unfinished” work.  However, workers part of the protest claimed that Raj is a “BJP agent” and is deliberately trying to make the party lose the polls. “He is a dummy candidate of the BJP… it’s been a week since the ticket was announced but he has not stepped out to campaign,” alleged Rajesh Rathore, a Congress worker.

The demonstrators maintained that they would continue supporting the party. “The motive behind protesting is that our concerns should reach Rahul Gandhi,” said worker Amin Khan.

On the protests, Delhi Congress Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said: “The internal machinery of the Congress is democratic in nature… we do not restrict party workers from publicly criticising the leadership.”

Raj, meanwhile, met the demonstrators later and asked them about their issues.

Reacting to the development, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said “discontent” among Delhi Congress leaders and workers was now out in the wide open.