Atishi, the Chief Minister of Delhi and AAP's candidate for the Kalkaji Assembly seat, filed her nomination for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections on Tuesday, which are scheduled for February 5.
She submitted her nomination at the District Election Office. Atishi is set to face BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress' Alka Lamba for the Kalkaji seat.
In the 2020 Assembly elections, Atishi secured the Kalkaji seat by defeating BJP's Dharambir Singh with a margin of over 10 percent.
Speaking to the media after filing her nomination, Atishi remarked, “On the occasion of Makar Sankranti today, I have filed my nomination and I hope that, just as I have received love from the people of Kalkaji before, I will continue to receive the same in the future.”
Addressing the FIR filed against her over alleged Model Code of Conduct violations, Atishi criticized the Election Commission’s lack of action on BJP candidate Parvesh Verma’s conduct.
“The whole country saw that Parvesh Verma was distributing money. Women came on TV and said that they were given Rs 1100 to press the lotus button. After that, he tweeted saying that he was distributing glasses in a health camp. Then he was distributing sheets and bedspreads with his name in Kidwai Nagar. The Election Commission does not see any violation of the Model Code of Conduct in this,” Atishi said.
She added, “We went to the Election Commission multiple times, and they assured us that the election would be fair. Investigations are still ongoing against Parvesh Verma, while an FIR has already been filed against me without any investigation.”
Earlier this week, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal participated in a roadshow with former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia.
At 43, Atishi became Delhi's third woman Chief Minister, following the footsteps of Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit. On September 17, 2024, Kejriwal resigned as Chief Minister and submitted his resignation to Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
Atishi claimed the right to form the new government soon after, following Kejriwal’s release from Tihar jail in the excise policy case. Kejriwal stated he would return to the Chief Minister's post only if he secured a renewed mandate and received a "certificate of honesty" from the people of Delhi in the February 2025 elections.
Atishi was sworn in as Chief Minister of Delhi on September 22 after being nominated by Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi Assembly elections will take place in a single phase on February 5, with the vote count scheduled for February 8.