While the Congress has already named Sandeep Dikshit, son of three-term Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, as the candidate, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to field Parvesh Sahib Singh, son of former chief minister Sahib Singh Verma.

“I have been asked to prepare to contest from the New Delhi constituency,” Parvesh told HT on Saturday. He added that the AAP’s “10 years of misrule have brought Delhi to the brink of ruin”, and promised accessibility and responsiveness, vowing to be with residents “24 hours a day in your happiness and sorrow”.

To be sure, the BJP has not yet released its list of candidates and has not yet officially announced him as the candidate for the seat. However, two senior Delhi BJP leaders indicated that Singh, a two-time West Delhi MP, will be the party’s contestant from New Delhi.

His father Sahib Singh Verma was Delhi’s fourth chief minister and remained in office from February 1996 to October 1998.

Kejriwal is seeking his fourth consecutive term from the constituency. His debut win over Sheila Dikshit in 2013 by thumping margin of around 25,000 votes marked a seismic shift in Delhi politics and announced his disruptive entry into electoral politics — particularly since Dikshit was a popular leader who ruled for three consecutive terms between 1998 and 2013 and was credited with the Capital’s infrastructure boost.

Subsequent victories for Kejriwal in 2015 and 2020 solidified his position in the seat.

After resigning as CM in September and vacating his bungalow in Civil Lines, he shifted to Feroz Shah Road which is also under the New Delhi constituency, citing the objective of staying in his constituency so as to connect with people better. “There will be no change. I will contest from New Delhi seat,” Kejriwal announced on Friday.

The Congress, hoping to rebuild its political relevance in Delhi after years in the wilderness, announced Sandeep Dikshit as the candidate earlier this week. His candidacy adds a personal dimension to the race. The two-time Congress MP, who has been an outspoken Kejriwal critic, will hope to leverage his mother’s reputation as he aims to revive the party’s connection with the city.

“I thank the Congress leadership for fielding me from New Delhi assembly seat. The people of New Delhi and entire Delhi fondly remember the days of Congress government and the kind of development that took place in Delhi under Sheila Dikshit’s term as CM. I have planned a series of meetings with people and party workers in New Delhi over the coming weeks,” said Dikshit.

Dikshit said in 1998 and 2003 he was handling his mother’s election affairs when she contested from this constituency (then known as Gole Market constituency). “I have to reconnect with the party workers for which I am holding a number of meetings,” he said.

Adding to this drama now is Parvesh, who is positioning himself as a grassroots leader focused on resolving local issues like water shortages, crumbling infrastructure, and sanitation problems.

His campaign will seek to capitalise on local grievances while presenting himself as a candidate deeply connected to the constituency’s needs.

HT reached out to the AAP for comment on the announcements, however, the party did not respond till the time of going to print.

The New Delhi constituency, one of the smallest in the city, carries outsized symbolic weight.

Encompassing Lutyens Delhi and its adjacent areas, it serves as a microcosm of the Capital’s socioeconomic diversity, with a voter base that includes government employees, slum dwellers, traders, and Dalits.

With over 100,000 voters, the seat has long been considered a prize for political heavyweights.

According to political observers, the New Delhi seat encapsulates the larger battle for Delhi’s future.

Tanvir Aeijaz, associate professor of Political Science at Ramjas College, said the line-up of candidates suggests that New Delhi will hog the limelight in the elections.

Aeijaz said, “The election has given Sandeep Dikshit an opportunity to avenge his mother’s defeat at the hands of Arvind Kejriwal, which pushed Congress to the brink in Delhi. For Parvesh Sahib Singh, it’s an opportunity to defeat Kejriwal as the BJP tries to push him out of power. Kejriwal’s popularity remains unmatched, but anti-incumbency and strong challengers make this a high-stakes fight.”