Congress Releases First List of 21 Candidates for Delhi Assembly Elections

New Delhi: The Congress party on Thursday announced its first list of 21 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, scheduled for early next year. The list features prominent leaders, including Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav, who will contest from Badli, and former MP Sandeep Dikshit, who has been fielded from the New Delhi constituency, currently represented by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Former Delhi minister Haroon Yusuf will contest from Ballimaran, while ex-Delhi Congress president Chaudhary Anil Kumar has been fielded from Patparganj. National spokesperson Ragini Nayak will contest from Wazirpur, and Adarsh Shastri has been named as the candidate for Dwarka.

Other notable candidates include Ali Mehndi from Mustafabad, Abdul Rehman from Seelampur, Rohit Chaudhry from Nangloi Jat, and Praveen Jain from Shalimar Bagh.

The list was finalized after the Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting, chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Top leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Ambika Soni, Salman Khurshid, T.S. Singh Deo, and Mukul Wasnik, were present during the deliberations, alongside Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav.

Also Read: AAP released its second list of 20 candidates

Speaking after the meeting, Qazi Nizamuddin, the party's in-charge for Delhi affairs, criticized both the BJP-led central government and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi. "In the last 10 years, Delhi has suffered immensely. The Centre and the Delhi government have constantly blamed each other for the city's deteriorating conditions. People are ready to teach both governments a lesson," he said.

Devender Yadav highlighted the diversity in the candidate list, stating, "We have ensured representation for all sections of society. The list also includes fresh and young faces. Our leadership consulted widely to finalize these names."

The Congress and AAP had considered a pre-poll alliance, but leaders from both parties, including Arvind Kejriwal and Yadav, have confirmed they will contest the elections independently.