Delhi polls: 10 constituencies that will decide the fate of Delhi

Krishna Nagar: It was always known that if Kiran Bedi contests elections, she would be given a safe seat. In that scenario, Krishna Nagar is considered the safest seat for the BJP, thanks to a faithful RSS-BJP cadre in the constituency. Bedi will square off against Congress’s Bansi Lal and AAP’s SK Bagga, though it is likely to be a smooth sailing for the BJP leader.

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal with supporters during his election road show in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Source: PTI)

New Delhi: If there is any man who has commanded continuous attention of the media throughout these elections, it is “mufflerman” Arvind Kejriwal. He is contesting once again (he was victorious in 2013 also) from the New Delhi assembly constituency. He is likely to face major competition from Congress’ Kiran Walia, who was a minister in the Sheila Dikshit government.

Malviya Nagar: In this south Delhi constituency, it is likely to be a direct contest between AAP’s Somnath Bharti and Congress’s Yoganand Shastri. Both Bharti and Shastri were former ministers in their parties’ previous stints in power. Even though Bharti carries the taint of having ordered a police raid last year in Khirki extension on suspicions of a prostitution racket, he still has a loyal following in this constituency.

Greater Kailash: This urban south Delhi constituency was all over the news, thanks to its Congress candidate, Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of President Pranab Mukherjee. She vows to bring systematic developmental changes in her constituency and is likely to see a strong fight from the AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj, the transport minister in Kejriwal’s 49 day-old government last year.

Krishna Tirath with Delhi BJP leaders. (Source: Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

Patel Nagar: This reserved constituency, home to a large number of Dalits and slum-dwellers, in west Delhi is important because of the candidature of Krishna Tirath, who crossed over from the Congress to the BJP in the last few days. Tirath, a former Union minister and MP from the North-west Delhi constituency, has decided to wear the saffron scarf and hopes to be victorious from this seat. She faces AAP’s Hazari Lal Chauhan and Congress’s Rajesh Lilothia, a former MLA.

Sadar Bazar: Ajay Maken, chief of Congress’ election campaign, hopes to enter the Delhi assembly from this seat, home to the largest wholesale market in Delhi. It was a Congress bastion for a long time, until it fell to the AAP in 2013. Maken faces AAP’s Som Dutt Sharma and BJP’s Praveen Jain.

Patparganj: This high-profile constituency was little known in Delhi’s politics, until it was won by Manish Sisodia, long-time associate of Arvind Kejriwal and a minister in the AAP cabinet. This time, the BJP hopes to trump Sisodia by fielding Vinod Kumar Binny, Sisodia’s former party colleague and an MLA from the Laxmi Nagar constituency.

Trilokpuri: In 1984, Trilokpuri gained national prominence in connection with the deadly anti-Sikh riots. Last year, the neighbourhood saw communal remnants once again when clashes broke out between Hindus and Muslims, though a quick police interference put things to rest. The clashes will most likely see political dividends for all three parties; AAP represented by Raju Dhingan, BJP by Kiran Vaidya and Congress by Brahma Pal.

Janakpuri: Intra-family contests in Delhi elections are not rare; Janakpuri is a testament to that. Heavyweight BJP candidate Jagdish Mukhi, who has won the seat 7 consecutive times, will be fighting against his son-in-law Suresh Kumar, contesting on a Congress ticket. Though things are not sour within Mukhi’s family, there is a lot of political heat on the streets.

Dwarka: Former MP from west Delhi, Mahabal Mishra of the Congress makes his way back into Delhi’s politics by contesting from his backyard of Dwarka. He will face stiff competition from AAP’s Adarsh Shastri, grandson of former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri and former employee of Apple.