In addition to nearly 200 candidates of the Congress, BJP and Aam Aadmi Party contesting the Delhi Assembly elections, there are several nominees of other outfits who also jumped into the fray. While contenders of major parties are talked about and their each activity is carefully followed, candidates of “other” parties remain occupied in garnering support away from the limelight.
A total of 810 candidates, including those from Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party, are in the fray for the December 4 polls to the 70-member Delhi Assembly. Apart from Independents, three left parties CPI, CPI(M) and Forward Bloc are contesting polls in 19 constituencies while CPI(Ml) has fielded candidates in four seats.
The CPI has fielded candidates in 10 seats, while CPI(M) and Forward Bloc are contesting in three and two constituencies respectively. The Samajwadi Party has put up candidates in 27 seats, BSP in 69 seats and NCP is fighting in nine seats. The CPI(M) is contesting from Karawal Nagar, Shahdara and Dwarka. It did not contest in the 2008 Assembly polls. The constituencies in which CPI fielded candidates include Narela, Timarpur, Mangolpuri, Palam, Chhatarpur, Trilokpuri, Patparganj, Seemapuri and Babarpur.
In the 2008 Assembly elections, the party had fielded candidates in six constituencies. The CPI(Ml), which contested on a single seat in 2008, has fielded candidates on four seats this time: Narela, Wazirpur, Kondli and Patparganj. According to Kavita Krishnan, Member of the Communist Party of India (Ml), the Election Commission’s guidelines are not helping the small parties. “We are a small party. We cannot get lakhs of pamphlets printed in one go; the printing pressmen refuse to print 5,000 copies. There is a lot of rigidity. We are facing difficulty campaigning here,” she said.
The Congress is fighting polls in all the 70 constituencies, while the BJP has fielded candidates in 66 seats, leaving four to its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Nomination papers of 900 candidates were accepted after scrutiny on November 19. “Ninety candidates withdrew their nominations on Saturday; hence, 810 candidates would be contesting for the Delhi Assembly elections,” Chief Electoral officer Vijay Dev said. Maximum candidates (23) would be contesting from Burari, followed by Matia Mahal and Matiala, from where 19 candidates each are trying their luck. Patel Nagar constituency has the minimum candidates as only four contestants are in the fray, Dev said.