Congress releases list of Delhi candidates, Sheila Dixit to contest from North East Delhi

The Congress on Monday declared candidates on six of the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital.

JP Agarwal to contest from Chandni Chowk, Sheila Dixit from North East Delhi, Arvinder Singh Lovely from East Delhi, Ajay Maken from New Delhi, Rajesh Lilothia from North West Delhi (SC) and Mahabal Mishra from West Delhi.

From North East Delhi seat where Sheila Dikshit will contest, AAP has fielded Dilip Pandey.

At present, this seat is represented by Manoj Tiwari, who is also the president of BJP’s Delhi unit. In the last Lok Sabha poll, Tiwari had defeated Professor Anand Kumar of AAP by 1,44,084 votes.

Delhi' s seven parliamentary constituencies, which go to the polls on May 12 in the sixth phase, voted for the BJP in 2014, leaving the AAP in the second spot. However, the vote share of AAP and Congress in that election, together, was more than that of the BJP in six of the seven seats -- despite the Modi wave.

On Sunday, BJP released a list of five candidates, renominating four of its sitting MPs, including Union minister Harsh Vardhan.

Names for the three remaining seats are expected to be announced today.

With little time left to woo voters, parties have increased their activities, with prominent leaders holding several rallies every day. From public rallies to workers' meetings, big leaders of the national, as well as state parties, are leaving no stone unturned to ensure victory in the polls.

(With inputs from agencies)