The counting of votes for the Delhi Assembly Election 2025 is underway today, February 8, 2025. Trends showed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) taking a strong lead over the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
As per the latest tally as given by the Election Commission of India, BJP was leading in 41 constituencies, while AAP was ahead in 29. The Delhi Assembly has 70 seats, with 36 required for a majority. With BJP leading in over 40 seats, it appears to be on track to form the next government in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD).
With the election results shaping up in BJP’s favour, the next crucial step will be selecting a chief minister. The party leadership will now deliberate on choosing a leader who can take charge of Delhi. Several names are being discussed within political circles and a formal announcement is expected soon. Here is a list of probable names for the coveted post:
Vijender Gupta
The Rohini Assembly seat has been a stronghold of the BJP for years, with Vijender Gupta representing the area for a decade. A veteran politician and former Leader of the Opposition, Gupta is aiming for his third consecutive win. However, AAP’s Pradeep Mittal is determined to challenge the BJP’s hold and strengthen AAP’s presence in Northwest Delhi.
In the 2020 elections, Gupta won with 62,174 votes (53.67 per cent), defeating AAP’s Rajesh Bansiwala by 12,648 votes. In 2015, he secured 59,866 votes (49.83 per cent), narrowly beating AAP’s CL Gupta, who got 54,499 votes (45.36 per cent).
As the counting progresses for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, the battle is intense. AAP’s Pradeep Mittal was leading with 3,235 votes, while BJP’s Vijender Gupta trailed close behind with 3,187 votes—a difference of just 48 votes.
Satish Upadhyay
A senior BJP leader and Vice Chairman of the New Delhi Municipal Council, Satish Upadhyay, is making a strong push to win the Malviya Nagar Assembly seat in the 2025 Delhi election. A seasoned politician, Upadhyay previously served as the president of the Delhi BJP and as a councillor from Malviya Nagar’s Ward No. 161 in South Delhi. His leadership roles in the party date back to 2009 when he was BJP’s Delhi unit secretary, later becoming vice president (2010-2012) and president in 2014.
As counting progresses in the Delhi Assembly Election 2025, Upadhyay was leading with 9,205 votes, establishing a 1,400-vote lead over AAP’s three-time MLA Somnath Bharti, who polled 7,805 votes. Congress candidate Jitender Kumar Kochar trailed far behind with 1,127 votes at 10.20 am.
Malviya Nagar has traditionally been a stronghold for AAP, with Bharti winning the last three elections, including a landslide victory in 2020 when he secured 52,043 votes, defeating BJP’s Shailendra Singh by a wide margin. However, with Upadhyay now leading the 2025 race, BJP is looking to break AAP’s dominance in this key Delhi constituency.
Manoj Tiwari
BJP leader and Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari is optimistic about his party’s success in the upcoming Delhi Assembly election results, set to be announced on February 8. In an interview with ABP News, Tiwari said that exit polls reflect the public mood, indicating a strong shift towards the BJP. He believes that Delhi’s voters are unhappy with AAP’s governance, pointing to issues like waterlogging, delayed pensions, pollution and the ban on Chhath Puja at the Yamuna.
Tiwari assured that the BJP would bring real change, promising better infrastructure and a cleaner Yamuna. When asked if he could be the chief ministerial candidate, he said the party would decide, but whoever is chosen will work under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership to transform Delhi. He also highlighted BJP’s campaign song, which he claims struck a chord with voters.
As a sitting MP from North East Delhi since 2014, Tiwari has played a significant role in BJP’s growth in the capital. He previously contested the 2009 elections from Gorakhpur as a Samajwadi Party candidate but lost to Yogi Adityanath. However, after joining BJP, he won in 2014 and was later appointed Delhi BJP president in 2016. Under his leadership, the party secured a massive victory in the 2017 MCD elections.
With Tiwari confident of BJP winning at least 50 seats, he believes the final results will only confirm what the exit polls have predicted—a strong mandate for his party.
Ramesh Bidhuri
BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri is making a strong push to win the Kalkaji Assembly seat in the 2025 Delhi elections. A seasoned politician, Bidhuri has been a key face of the BJP in Delhi and is determined to unseat AAP’s Atishi Marlena in this high-stakes contest, who is also the incumbent chief minister.
As per the latest vote count at 10.34 am, Bidhuri was leading with 12,494 votes, holding a 1,039-vote advantage over Atishi, who polled 11,455 votes. Congress candidate Alka Lamba was far behind with 1,134 votes.
Expressing confidence in BJP’s chances, Ramesh Bidhuri told India Today that the people of Delhi were seeking a change and believed the city would progress towards real development under Modi’s leadership. He asserted that AAP’s misgovernance was nearing its end. Additionally, he took a jab at the ruling party by referring to it as ‘AAPda’, a term playing on the Hindi word for disaster.
In the 2020 elections, Atishi won Kalkaji for AAP with 55,897 votes, defeating BJP’s Dharmveer, who secured 44,504 votes. However, with Bidhuri now leading in 2025, BJP is looking to turn the tide and reclaim this crucial constituency.
Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma
At 11.45 am, the vote count for the New Delhi constituency showed a close contest between BJP’s Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal. In a see-saw contest, Verma got a slender lead of 40 votes over Kejriwal. The Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit remained far behind at the third position.
Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, a two-time Member of Parliament from West Delhi, is known for his strong electoral track record. In 2019, he won with the highest-ever margin in Delhi’s history—578,486 votes. Son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, Parvesh has been actively involved in national politics, serving on key parliamentary committees such as Finance and Estimates.
This election marks his return to the Delhi Assembly battlefield, where he previously defeated the then-Speaker of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha, Yoganand Shastri, in 2013. With his experience and party’s backing, Verma aims to unseat Kejriwal and reclaim ground for the BJP in the national capital. Parvesh Verma is the son of Sahib Singh Verma, former Chief Minister of Delhi.
Rekha Gupta
Rekha Gupta is making a strong mark in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, leading the race in Shalimar Bagh with 31,397 votes as of 10.50 am. The BJP candidate has established a significant lead of 14,227 votes over AAP’s Bandana Kumari, who stands at 17,170 votes, while Congress’ Parveen Kumar Jain lags far behind with just 2,565 votes.
A three-time councillor from Shalimar Bagh, Rekha Gupta has been a prominent face in Delhi’s municipal politics. She previously contested the 2020 Assembly elections but narrowly lost to Bandana Kumari. This time, however, she seems set to turn the tables, signaling a potential shift in voter sentiment.
Gupta, who was also BJP’s candidate for Delhi Mayor, has been actively involved in addressing civic issues, focusing on infrastructure, sanitation, and water supply. With assets worth Rs5.3 crore, she brings administrative experience and a strong campaign to the table.
Shalimar Bagh has been an AAP stronghold since 2013, but Gupta’s commanding lead suggests that the BJP is on track to reclaim the constituency.
Dushyant Kumar Gautam
Dushyant Kumar Gautam, BJP’s candidate from Karol Bagh, was trailing in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, with 7,008 votes as of the latest count. AAP’s Vishesh Ravi was leading the race with 12,075 votes, while Congress’ Rahul Kumar is far behind at just 585 votes.
Gautam, a senior BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP, has long been associated with the party’s Scheduled Caste (SC) Morcha. He has contested multiple elections, including MCD and Delhi Assembly polls, though success has eluded him so far. His political journey includes a stint in the Rajya Sabha from 2020 to 2022, filling a vacancy left by an INLD leader who switched to state politics.
Karol Bagh has been an AAP stronghold since 2015, with Vishesh Ravi winning by large margins in previous elections. Despite BJP’s efforts to reclaim the seat, Gautam faces an uphill battle as counting continues. His experience and party backing might not be enough to overturn AAP’s dominance in the constituency.
Praveen Khandelwal
As the counting for the Delhi Assembly elections begins, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal expressed strong confidence in his party’s victory, stating that the people of Delhi will “take revenge” on Arvind Kejriwal.
Speaking to ANI, he claimed that after losing, Kejriwal would blame EVMs and the Election Commission instead of accepting defeat. Khandelwal, a prominent businessman and politician, is the founder and general secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he won from the Chandni Chowk constituency, defeating Congress leader JP Aggarwal by a margin of 80,000 votes.
Vijay Goel
Vijay Goel could be a surprise pick for the post of Delhi chief minister. Goel is a senior BJP leader who earlier served as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and also handled the Statistics and Implementation portfolio in the NDA government. Earlier, he was the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Goel has been active in Delhi politics for a long time and became the BJP’s Delhi unit president in 2013. In 2014, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. Over the years, the BJP’s central leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, has often chosen Union ministers for key roles, including chief minister positions in states.
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Who will be the next Delhi chief minister as BJP crosses majority mark in trends?
