For BJP, the most difficult task of deciding on a candidate for the New Delhi Assembly seat was made look easy with its former State president Vijender Gupta volunteering to take on Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
Gupta, as an opponent to the four-time MlA Dikshit, was a natural choice as the party could not afford to project a weak candidate from the prestigious seat. Gupta's candidature from the New Delhi seat is also a means to carry forward his legal battle with Dikshit to the electoral battlefield. As BJP leaders put it, by fielding Gupta against the Chief Minister the party has sought to put a tough contest for the Congress which is already facing a strong anti-incumbency wave. They said projecting a new entrant or an 'inexperienced' candidate would have meant BJP's defeat before the polls, which could prove to be demotivating for the party workers ahead of the elections.
The former Delhi BJP president is also an experienced campaigner for the party as it was under his leadership that the BJP managed to win all three Municipal Corporations post-trifurcation in 2012. Gupta, who began his political career from student politics in the Delhi University, was elected twice the municipal councillor from Rohini zone in 1997 and 2002. He was also the Chairman of the Standing Committee in the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Before he was appointed the Delhi BJP president in 2010, he had unsuccessfully contested the lok Sabha polls from Chandni Chowk Parliamentary Constituency against Congress heavyweight and Union Minister Kapil Sibal.
After he took over the Delhi BJP, Gupta launched a campaign against the Congress-led Delhi Government on inflated power and water tariff. He also targeted the Government over rampant corruption in conducting of the Commonwealth Games, purchase of low-floor DTC buses and frequent hikes in the power tariff. Further, he had also filed cases against Dikshit before the Delhi lokayukta, over expenses on advertisements from the Government's fund before the 2008 Assembly polls. The two leaders are also engaged in a defamation case filed by Dikshit against Gupta.
In New Delhi, Gupta will be in direct contest with Dikshit even as AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, too, is challenging the two main parties. However, Gupta sounded confidence of securing victory from the seat saying the anti-incumbency factor would help him emerge victorious. "I am confident of winning the seat. The outgoing CM Sheila Dikshit will also become the outgoing legislator," Gupta said as he claimed Kejriwal was not a serious candidate in his view. "He is not a serious candidate. His agenda is not clear as yet. He is sure to be rejected," he said.