Congress running with zilch as AAP takes lead in Ballimaran

New Delhi, Feb 11: Early trends for the Ballimaran constituency, that went to polls on February 8 show AAP's Imran Hussain is leading over BJP's Lata Sodhi and Haroon Yusuf of Congress.

Former Delhi minister and five-time MLA, veteran Congressman Yusuf had contested from his pocket borough of Ballimaran for the seventh consecutive time. The 61-year-old had won from the Muslim-dominated constituency -- a Congress stronghold located in the Walled City -- five times between 1993 and 2013 until the 2015 Assembly election where he lost to Imran Hussain of the AAP. He had posted a distant third, way behind the BJP's Shyam Lal Morwal.

In Jan 2019, Yusuf took over as the working president of the Delhi Congress as his former boss Sheila Dikshit became the state unit chief, to prepare the party for the general elections. Previously in the Sheila Dikshit government, he had served as Minister of Food & Civil Supplies Department and Industries Department.

This time too, the contest Ballimaran constituency will be witnessing triangular contest.

Imran Hussain - Food and Civil Supplies Minister in Arvind Kejriwal's cabinet - is defending his turf and Lata Sodhi is trying to open the BJP's account in Old Delhi.

Ballimaran is the smallest yet key seat in Delhi Assembly elections. It comes under Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency. Ballimaran witnessed a higher voter turnout of 62.59 per cent.

The main contest in Ballimaran, where Dalits and Muslims form 3/5th of the total voters, is likely between Haroon Yusuf of the Congress - the former party of choice here - and the Aam Aadmi Party, which has nominated incumbent MLA and Delhi Food and Supplies Minister Imran Hussain for a second time.