Delhi assembly elections 2025: Smriti Irani among top runners to face off against Saurabh Bharadwaj in Greater Kailash

Former Union minister Smriti Irani is among the top runners from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to face off against Delhi minister and sitting MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj. Irani is in contention with three other women leaders for the constituency, The Indian Express reported. 

BJP's Delhi unit sees the former Union Minister as a leader who can be one of the charismatic leaders to counter Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal. The state unit requested for Irani to be fielded from the seat in the Delhi Core Committee held on Monday to finalise the remaining names. 

The BJP high command is likely to consider Irani's name for the constituency, as per the report. BJP's Delhi unit has requested the party high command to field Irani against Bharadwaj, given her image of an articulate and fiesty leader.

She also has the reputation of being a giant killer after defeating Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.  

"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," a party source told the publication.

Besides Irani, the other women leaders who are the top runners to contest against Bharadwaj are BJP National Executive member Arti Mehra, sitting councillor from the GK ward Shikha Rai and former Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi. 

Mehra is a resident of the GK constituency. In the 2020 assembly elections, Shikha Rai lost to Bharadwaj by more than 16,000 votes. Lekhi is said to be more keen to contest from Delhi Cantonment, as per media reports. 

Some leaders are also wary of parachuting leaders from outside like the BJP did with Kiran Bedi in 2015. Despite Bedi's popularity, the BJP could win only 3 seats in the election. They were of the opinion that such a decision could demotivate the local workers and end up harming the party. 

The party has so far declared candidates for 59 out of the total 70 assembly seats in Delhi.

Notable candidates of the BJP include former West Delhi MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma against Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi seat, former South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri against Chief Minister Atishi in Kalkaji and former Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay against Somnath Bharti in Malviya Nagar. 

Delhi is all set to go to polls on February 5 and the results will be declared on February 8.