The Congress party announced its candidates for the three Delhi Lok Sabha constituencies it is contesting in alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party. Kanhaiya Kumar was nominated for North East Delhi, JP Agarwal for Chandni Chowk, and Udit Raj for North West Delhi.
Kumar, who switched to the Congress from the Communist Party of India (CPI) in September 2021, contested the previous Lok Sabha elections from Bihar’s Begusarai but lost to the BJP’s Giriraj Singh. This time, due to the unavailability of Begusarai from its alliance partners, the Congress fielded Kumar in NE Delhi, where he faces BJP’s sitting MP Manoj Tiwari, given the significant presence of voters from Bihar and UP.
According to a senior Congress leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Kumar’s candidacy gained certainty after Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely expressed disinterest in contesting in the Lok Sabha polls. Although former MP Sandeep Dikshit was also a contender, Kumar received support from at least two key leaders, including communications chief Jairam Ramesh.
For the Chandni Chowk seat, the party selected former parliamentarian Agarwal to face BJP’s Praveen Khandelwal. In the third constituency, the party nominated Raj, a former BJP member who joined Congress in 2019, for North West Delhi, where BJP has put forth Yogendra Chandolia.
Raj, a former Indian Revenue Service officer, won from North West Delhi on a BJP ticket in 2014. He has been vocal within the Congress and is considered one of its prominent leaders in the Capital.
Regarding the Chandni Chowk seat, the party considered both Agarwal and Alka Lamba, head of the women’s wing. However, Agarwal was preferred due to his influence in Chandni Chowk and to accommodate the former MP, according to another party leader.
Agarwal previously represented Chandni Chowk in the Lok Sabha and was an MP from North East Delhi between 2009 and 2014. He also served as a Rajya Sabha MP from Delhi.
Despite discussions at the CEC meeting, consensus could not be reached, prompting the poll panel to authorize Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to finalize the candidates.
