In dead of night, BJP releases New Delhi candidate's name

New Delhi, Jan 21: In the middle of the night, post 1 a.m., the BJP released its final list that has its New Delhi candidate, Sunil Yadav, who is pitted against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Yadav is a young face who holds the President's Office of Yuva Morcha, Bharatiya Janata Party, Delhi (BJYM Delhi). An advocate by profession, Yadav worked his way up the ranks from being the District President Yuva Morcha, Delhi General Secretary of Yuva Morcha, BJP. The party banked on his youth appeal while putting him against one of the most formidable candidates this poll season -- Arvind Kejriwal.

Another key name in the list of 10 candidates is Tajinder Bagga. After his exclusion from the first list, he was trolled on social media. But on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, BJP officially said it is fielding him from Hari Nagar. Though he was pitching for Tilak Nagar, but that seat has been given to another candidate. Bagga has been the BJP Delhi's spokesperson. He started his career with activism by forming an outfit called "Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena". He is also accused of beating lawyer and then AAP leader Prashant Bhushan for his radical views on Kashmir.

Other constituencies that figured in the list are Nangloi Jat, Rajouri Garden, Delhi Cantonment, Kasturba Nagar, Mehrouli, Kalkaji, Krishna Nagar and Shahdara.

In the first list, BJP had released 57 names in which figures like AAP rebel Kapil Mishra and BJP veteran Vijender Gupta figured. After this list, total candidate count of BJP went up to 67. The Delhi assembly has 70 seats. The remaining three is being given to allies LJP and JDU, as earlier reported by IANS, quoting sources.

While the BJP has set aside two seats for JDU, with whom it will fight Bihar election later this year, one has been kept aside for LJP. Sources say Sangam Vihar and Burari are kept for JDU while the Seemapuri seat is kept for LJP.

No seat has been alloted for ally Shiromani Akali Dal over the disagreement between the two over CAA and NRC.

The Punjab based party is also vehemently opposed to nation wide NRC. As for CAA, the SAD wants the government, to which they are a part of, to also include Muslims. After two days of continuous effort from both sides to convince each other, the SAD has come out and declared they will choose to stay off the election in Delhi.

Sources say, BJP offered SAD three seats in Delhi but the Punjab-based party refused to climb down from its position on CAA and NRC.

Delhi will poll on February 8 and the results will come out on February 11.