Sheila Dikshit's son to contest against Kejriwal from New Delhi
The Congress has fielded late Sheila Dikshit's son Sandeep Dikshit as its candidate from the New Delhi Assembly constituency in the upcoming elections. The move paves the way for a high-stakes political battle against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal. The rivalry between the two political giants goes back to when Sheila was defeated by Kejriwal in both the 2013 and 2015 elections.
Dikshit's campaign strategy and potential competition
Sandeep, a former MP and vocal AAP critic, is likely to spearhead a fierce campaign. Sandeep had represented East Delhi in Parliament in 2004 and 2009 but lost the elections in 2014 and 2019, while Kejriwal has held the New Delhi seat since 2013. There are also rumors that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could field former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma's son, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, making the contest even more interesting.
AAP's election strategy and Dikshit's past performance
The decision to field Sandeep came after the AAP made it clear that it intends to fight the elections alone, banking on its governance and ground support. "Aam Aadmi Party will be fighting this election on its own strength in Delhi. There is no possibility of any alliance with Congress," Kejriwal said this week. Earlier this year, the AAP and Congress had formed an alliance for the Delhi Lok Sabha elections but lost all the seven seats.
Congress's aim and criticism of AAP, BJP
The Congress hopes to make a comeback after not winning a single seat in the previous two assembly polls. Other notable names in the Congress list are Haroon Yusuf from Ballimaran and Abhishek Dutt from Kasturba Nagar. It includes both seasoned leaders like Delhi Congress president Devendra Yadav and former state president Chaudhary Anil Kumar, as well as new faces. However, the list has been criticized for nepotism, as tickets were given to sons of senior Congress leaders.
