In Fray With Show Of Strength

New Delhi: The returning officers for the capital’s seven Lok Sabha constituencies had a busy day on Friday with as many as 33 candidates of national and unrecognised parties and independents filing their nominations for the May 25 polls in the city.
Among the prominent ones to officially enter the electoral fray were BJP veteran Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, who filed his nomination for the South Delhi seat, his party colleague Praveen Khandelwal who has thrown his hat in the ring from Chandni Chowk and former Indian Revenue Services officer Udit Raj of Congress in the reserved constituency of North West Delhi.

The office of the chief electoral officer said so far 90 candidates had submitted 115 sets of nomination documents. While May 6 is the last date to file nominations, the scrutiny of documents will take place on May 7 and the last date to withdraw is May 8.
Raj held a road show in his constituency, declaring a win to be “essential to save the country and the Constitution”. The former BJP MP and now a Congress contestant concentrated on national issues and his party manifesto’s “five guarantees”. AAP minister Gopal Rai and Delhi Assembly deputy speaker Rakhi Birla accompanied him.
Raj aidd, “This is the final battle to save democracy. There is no alternative; we must win this battle at all costs. I want your support not just here (road show) but till the polling day and beyond.” The Congress candidate and other Congress functionaries rode a mini truck adorned with banners and the slogan prominently displayed, “Haath Badlega Halaat”. The Congress event demonstrated unity with its alliance partner, AAP, with workers carrying cut-outs of MP Rahul Gandhi and CM Arvind Kejriwal side by side. Throughout the procession, Congress workers celebrated and danced to patriotic songs
BJP’s candidate from South Delhi Bidhuri sat in an open vehicle and mid chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai by his supporters began his road show. The procession featured songs tailored for Bidhuri's campaign, such as “Bidhuri jeetega bhai, Ramvir jeetega bhai”.
His party colleague, Khandelwal’s nomination rally started with traditional music and party flags waving as workers marched from Chandni Chowk to Fatehpuri Chowk and then to Old Delhi Railway Station, from where the candidate and Union minister Piyush Goyal and other proposers went to Alipur by car to submit the nomination.
As the BJP's road show moved towards Saket, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed confidence in the people of Delhi making history and eagerly awaiting the voting day to re-elect Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. Dhami highlighted the Modi govt's accomplishments, such as the removal of Article 370, implementation of CAA, and the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Speaking from the nomination stage, Khandelwal pledged to fulfil all the promises made to the people of Chandni Chowk, as outlined in his manifesto, ensuring their completion by 2027. He expressed confidence in forming a BJP govt for the third time under the leadership of Modi, promising to work tirelessly for the aspirations of the people of Chandni Chowk.
Bidhuri listed the Modi govt's achievements, including peripheral roads, an eco-park in Badarpur, a six-lane national highway, the India Gate tunnel, the National War Memorial, Kartavya Marg, the new Parliament building, and the installation of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's statue at India Gate. He also criticised the Kejriwal govt for tarnishing Delhi's reputation as the world's most polluted capital and mentioned the imprisonment of AAP ministers.
Among other candidates who filed nomination was Rajan Singh, who claimed to be the first third gender person to be contesting the Lok Sabha elections. Singh filed his nomination from South Delhi.