NCP's bold move: Ajit Pawar faction to fight Delhi elections alone, likely to field 25-30 candidates

Ajit Pawar's NCP is all set to contest the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections alone, sources told India Today on Sunday. The NCP has reportedly finalised candidates for 25-30 constituencies, focusing on regions with diverse voter bases.

Among the key candidates are: Ratan Tyagi from Burari, Mulayam Singh from Badli, Sanjay Singh Prajapati from Kirari, Omar Ali Idreesi from Sangam Vihar, and Ruhi Saleem from Seelampur.

The decision to contest independently is seen as a move by the NCP to establish a presence in Delhi, where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are heading for a three-way contest. The NCP is part of the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra.

While the NCP has contested state elections outside Maharashtra in the past, it has not had much success in Delhi. In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, the united NCP contested five seats but failed to win any. This will be the party’s first contest in Delhi since the NCP split into the Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar factions in July 2023.

Meanwhile, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will hit the campaign trail on Monday and address a public meeting in northeast Delhi's Seelampur. 

In Seelampur, BJP has fielded Anil Gaur against Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad of AAP, and Abdul Rehman of Congress. 

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav is contesting from Badli. He is up against Ajesh Yadav of AAP, and Deepak Chaudhary of the BJP. 

The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on February 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on February 8. In the 2015 and 2020 Delhi Assembly polls, the AAP won 67 and 62 seats respectively. The BJP won three seats in 2015 and eight in 2020 while the Congress drew a blank.