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Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is being considered a “strong candidate” against AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj in upcoming Delhi Assembly Elections.
Smriti Irani being considered for Delhi Assembly Elections (PTI Image)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is reportedly mulling fielding former Union Minister Smriti Irani against Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj in the Greater Kailash Assembly seat in the upcoming polls, The Indian Express reported.
According to the report, Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi on Congress’ bastion Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and was defeated by Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma in 2024, is being seen by the party’s Delhi unit as a charismatic leader who may take on a popular leader like Saurabh Bharadwaj.
The BJP has so far announced the names of 59 out of 70 candidates in the February 5 Assembly polls and is searching for strong faces in the remaining seats, including Greater Kailash.
AAP’s Bharadwaj is reportedly seen as a popular face in the seat even by the BJP, due to which the party has brainstormed over its candidate for the constituency in several rounds of discussions, according to The Indian Express report.
Smriti Irani’s name is doing the rounds along with three others women leaders for Greater Kailash seat, the report said.
Why Smriti Irani In Delhi?
According to the report, Irani is being viewed by the Delhi BJP as someone who may fill the gap in the party as a charismatic face, especially to counter Arvind Kejriwal.
She is being seen as a fiery leader and a giant killer due to her historic victory against Rahul Gandhi in 2019.
“The GK seat has emerged as a very important constituency during our poll discussions. The BJP’s Delhi election in-charge, Baijayant Panda, was himself deputed by the Central Election Committee last Friday to seek the assent of the candidates being considered, including a former Delhi MP,” The Indian Express quoted a BJP leader as saying.
The report further said that the Delhi Core Committee had a long meeting with the senior leadership to lock the remaining names for the polls. Smriti Irani’s name came up as the Delhi BJP made a request for a strong face in the city. The reported response was that the request would be considered.
Who Are The Other Names Being Considered?
The BJP is also considering other names such as Arti Mehra, a former mayor; Shikha Rai, a sitting councillor from the Greater Kailash ward, and former union minister Meenakshi Lekhi.
Arti Mehra resides within the constituency, while Shikha Rai, who contested the 2020 assembly election from Greater Kailash on a BJP ticket, lost to Bharadwaj by over 16,000 votes. Meanwhile, Lekhi is reportedly more interested in running from the Delhi Cantonment constituency.
Bharadwaj, a three-time MLA from Greater Kailash, holds multiple key portfolios in the Delhi government. The BJP has already pitted prominent leaders against other senior AAP figures, including former West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma against Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency, and former South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri against Chief Minister Atishi in Kalkaji.
The results of the Delhi Assembly polls will be out on February 8.
