BJP Announces Second List of Candidates for Delhi Assembly Elections Featuring Kapil Mishra and Harish Khurana

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unveiled its second list of candidates for the Delhi Assembly elections, naming 29 contenders. Among them is Kapil Mishra, a former member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who will contest from Karawal Nagar. Harish Khurana, son of ex-Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana, will represent Moti Nagar. This announcement brings the total number of BJP candidates to 58 for the 70-seat assembly.

The elections are set for February 5, with vote counting on February 8. Mishra replaces Mohan Singh Bisht and has been a controversial figure due to speeches linked to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Abhay Verma, the current BJP MLA from Laxmi Nagar, aims to retain his seat after winning by just over 800 votes in 2020. Both Mishra and Verma are from the Purvanchali community.

BJP's Diverse Candidate Selection

The BJP's candidate list includes Bajrang Shukla from Kirari and Pankaj Singh from Vikaspuri, both also Purvanchalis. Karnail Singh, head of the BJP's Mandir Prakoshth temple cell, will challenge AAP's Satyendar Jain in Shakoor Basti. Neeraj Basoya, who recently switched from Congress to BJP, will contest from Kasturba Nagar.

Pawan Sharma, former Delhi BJP general secretary organisation, is set to run for Uttam Nagar, a seat he secured in 2013. The party has also fielded several women candidates: Deepti Indora for Matia Mahal, Urmila Kailash Gangwar for Madipur SC, Shweta Saini for Tilak Nagar, Priyanka Gautam for Kondli SC, and Neelam Pahalwan for Najafgarh.

Former Leaders and New Faces

The list features four former MLAs and eight sitting municipal councillors. Former mayor Shyam Sharma will contest from Hari Nagar, a constituency with a significant Sikh population. The remaining 12 candidates are expected to be announced soon after discussions on key seats like Delhi Cantt, Greater Kailash, and Shahdara.

Party insiders revealed that former Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi was considered for Greater Kailash but showed interest in Delhi Cantt instead. The BJP aims to finalise these decisions shortly to complete its candidate lineup for the upcoming elections.