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New Delhi’s kingmaker seat: The only time the MLA elected from the seat did not become CM was in 1993. Kirti Azad won the Gole Market seat as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, but did not become the CM
Parvesh Singh Verma (left) is fighting against Arvind Kejriwal. (PTI File)
It is the most important battle in the national capital assembly when it comes to the New Delhi seat. Not because the seat has important government buildings or is among the most prominent locations in Delhi, but because it has been a kingmaker since 1998. This means that the leader who wins from this seat ends up becoming the chief minister (CM) of Delhi.
The late Sheila Dikshit was the CM of Delhi for three consecutive terms – 1998, 2003 and 2008. She remains the longest-serving CM of Delhi, with her term between 1998 and 2013.
The New Delhi Assembly seat was formed in 2008 under delimitation. However, a major part of the constituency fell under the erstwhile Gole Market assembly, which also had the same magic. Even before it was called the New Delhi seat, the assembly was a kingmaker, as Gole Market had the same trend.
Dikshit won from the Gole Market seat in 1998 and 2003. When the New Delhi assembly was formed, Dikshit won from there. All these years, she was the CM.
Dikshit won the New Delhi assembly seat in 2008 with 52.20 per cent votes, the 2003 polls with 64.44 per cent votes and the 1998 elections with 53.95 per cent votes.
In 2013, when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) first contested in Delhi, Kejriwal continued the trend. Dikshit lost the seat, and the Congress also lost its control over the city.
The chief of the newly formed party bagged the New Delhi assembly seat with about 54% votes in 2013, reducing Dikshit to just about 23% votes. He ended up forming the government, ironically with the help of Dikshit’s party.
However, the government lasted for only 49 days.
Kejriwal swept the 2015 and 2020 polls in the New Delhi assembly with more than 60% votes.
The only time the MLA elected from the seat did not become CM was in 1993. Kirti Azad won the Gole Market seat as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, but did not become the CM.
The nail-biting fight between AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and BJP’s Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma becomes more critical in light of this trend.
As of 12.30 pm, 10 of 13 rounds of counting have been completed, and Verma is ahead with 1,844 votes. He secured 22,034 votes, and Kejriwal is second with 20,190 votes. Dikshit’s son, Sandeep, is also in the fight and got 3,503 votes. The final results are awaited.
If the BJP wins, this will be a comeback for the party after more than three decades, when it last formed the government in 1993. So far, both the Congress and AAP have formed the government thrice, including AAP’s 49-day term.
