The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on January 4, 2025, released its first list of 29 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. The party has fielded former Member of Parliament (MP) Parvesh Verma from the New Delhi constituency, where he will face off against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and incumbent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Another notable candidate is former MP Ramesh Bidhuri, who will contest from Kalkaji, where AAP’s Atishi is also in the race.
Bidhuri’s candidacy has sparked controversy due to his past Islamophobic remarks. In 2019, during a session in the Lok Sabha, he referred to fellow MP Danish Ali as a “Muslim ugrawadi” (Muslim terrorist), “Bharwa” (pimp), and “katwa” (circumcised), which led to widespread condemnation. His comments, which were made in a derogatory and inflammatory manner, included saying, “Ye mulla aatankwadi hai, bahar pheko naa iss mulle ko” (This cleric is a terrorist, don’t let him out). While making these statements, BJP leader and former Union Health Minister Harshvardhan was seen laughing and cheering, which further fueled outrage.
Opposition leaders have strongly criticized Bidhuri’s remarks, calling them a “new low” in the history of India’s Parliament and accusing the BJP of endorsing such behaviour. Despite this, the BJP has continued to support Bidhuri, who is seen as a prominent figure within the party.
The BJP has also named several other candidates for the Delhi Assembly elections, including national office-bearers Dushyant Kumar Gautam (Karol Bagh), Ashish Sood (Janakpuri), Arvinder Singh Lovely (Gandhi Nagar), and former AAP leader Kailash Gahlot (Bijwasan). Former Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay will contest from Malviya Nagar.
