Delhi Election 2025: Arvind Kejriwal vs Sandeep Dikshit in New Delhi Seat? A high-voltage showdown on the cards

The Congress party has fielded former Member of Parliament (MP) Sandeep Dikshit from New Delhi seat in the national capital in the upcoming assembly elections. Sandeep featured in the party's first list of 21 candidates for the Delhi assembly polls released on Thursday.

Sandeep's late mother and former Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, had represented the seat for three straight terms until 2013, when she was defeated by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal, AAP national convener and former chief minister, has held the seat since 2013. Kejriwal won the seats in 2015 and 2020 as well.

Kejriwal is likely to contest from the seat again. The AAP has so far declared two lists with 31 names. The candidate for New Delhi seat has not been announced yet.

If Kejriwal contests the 2025 assembly election in Delhi from New Delhi seat, it will be a high-stakes political face-off.

The Congress and the AAP are partners in INDIA bloc but are rivals in Delhi and Punjab. Earlier this week, Kejriwal ruled out any possibility of alliance with the Congress in the upcoming assembly polls in the national capital. 

High-stakes battle

In 1993, Kirti Azad won from New Delhi assembly seat on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. Sheila Dikshit won the seat as a Congress candidate in 1998, 2003 and 2008.

Kejriwal won from New Delhi seat in 2013 defeating Sheila Dikshit by over 25,000 votes. He won the seat again in 2015 defeating BJP's Nupur Sharma by over 31,000 votes.

In 2020, the last assembly election, Kejriwal defeated BJP's Sunil Yadav by over 21,000 votes. Congress candidate Romesh Sabharwal got just 3,220 votes in the New Delhi seat in the 2020 assembly elections.

The BJP is yet to announce its candidate list for Delhi assembly elections 2025.

Who is Sandeep Dikshit?

Sandeep Dikshit was born in 1964 to Sheila Dikshit and Vinod Dikshit,] an IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Sandeep holds a Masters degree in history from St Stephens College, and received his post-graduate diploma in Rural Management in 1989 at the Institute of Rural Management, Anand.

Before entering active politics, Sandeep headed a social development group,, Sanket Information and Research Agency which pioneered the first sub-national Human Development Report in the world in 1996. He is currently a faculty member at OP Jindal Global University, Sonepat.

Sandeep 60, won the Lok Sabha elections from East Delhi seat twice – 2004 and 2009. He lost from the seat in 2014.

"I thank the party for giving me this opportunity, and the thing is that for the past 10 years whenever they (AAP) has ignored their promises, betrayed Delhi, or did corruption, I have raised objections to that," Sandeep told ANI.

Delhi Assembly Election 2025 Schedule

The elections to the 70-member Delhi assembly are expected to be held in February next year. The Election Commission of India has not announced the dates yet. The term of the current assembly in Delhi expires on February 23, 2025.

AAP, led by Kejriwal, is seeking to retain power in Delhi for a third straight time after its electoral successes in 2015 and 2020. The party won 67 seats in 2015 and 63 seats in 2020 in the 70-member Assembly.