BJP ex-MPs Parvesh Verma, Ramesh Bidhuri to Take on Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi

BJP on Saturday released its first list of 29 candidates for the assembly polls in Delhi, fielding former MPs Parvesh Verma and Ramesh Bidhuri against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and chief minister Atishi Marlena, respectively.

The list includes four sitting MLAs, two women candidates and four leaders who switched from AAP and Congress recently.

Verma, son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, will challenge Kejriwal in the New Delhi assembly seat, which is set for a triangular contest-Congress has fielded Sandeep Dikshit, son of former chief minister Sheila Dixit, here.



A similar contest is being expected in Kalkaji where BJP's Bidhuri will take on Atishi and Congress women unit chief Alka Lamba.

ET on December 7 had reported that BJP is looking to field Verma and Bidhuri against Kejriwal and Atishi.

Rekha Gupta from Shalimar Bagh and Kumari Rinku from SC reserved seat Seemapuri are the two female candidates in BJP's first list.


The party has also given tickets to four former ministers in Delhi from AAP and Congress. Kailash Gahlot and Raaj Kumar Anand, who served in the outgoing AAP government, have been fielded from Patel Nagar and Bijwasan, respectively. Arvinder Singh Lovely and Rajkumar Chauhan, who were part of Sheila Dikshit's government from 2003 to 2013, are BJP's nominees from Mangolpuri and Gandhi Nagar, respectively.

Sitting BJP MLAs contesting the upcoming polls include leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta, veteran Om Prakash Sharma, Ajay Mahawar and Jitender Mahajan. They will re-contest from Rohini, Vishwas Nagar, Ghonda and Rohtas Nagar, respectively.

Delhi BJP unit chief Virender Sachdeva is unlikely to contest assembly polls, party insiders said.

The saffron party has been out of power from the Delhi assembly for more than 26 years.

BJP's first list of candidates was released without a physical meeting of its central election committee.