Delhi Election 2025: The Congress is contesting all 70 assembly seats in Delhi after it failed to reach a pre-poll alliance agreement with the Aam Aadmi Party. The two parties contested the Lok Sabha polls together but have turned bete noire in this election once again. Congress party reposed its faith in ground workers this time while allocating seats. The grand old party fielded Satish Luthra from the Shakur Basti Seat this time against Aam Aadmi Party’s Satyendar Jain who is under scanner for graft allegations.
Luthra, who has been associated with Congress for around last 15 years, exuded confidence in the party’s victory in the majority of the Delhi seat saying that the ‘illusion’ created by AAP is over now and people on the ground want to change this time. The Congress candidate highlighted that the development work in the Shakur Basti constituency was hampered initially due to COVID-19 and later due to the unavailability of the elected representative as Jain was behind bars.
“There is no doubt that Satyendra Jain is a corrupt man. He spent two and a half years in jail, and his case has been reopened. Who knows when he might end up back in jail again? What will happen to the constituency then?” asked Luthra.
Luthra has previously been assigned the MCD election responsibility by the party in the past. He said that the AAP managed to befool people with free handouts, but now the public wants change. People are unhappy with both the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). People want development, said Luthara.
Satish Luthara claimed that people today recall the kind of governance that Sheila Dikshit gave to Delhi for 15 years. He said that the Congress is ready to give a better government to Delhi this time.
Reacting to the Congress party’s dismal performance in the past two elections, Luthra said, “People are fed up with the false promises of both the BJP and AAP. The Nirbhaya case and alleged scams like the coal and CWG scams tarnished the image of Congress. However, no evidence of wrongdoing was found in any of these alleged scams. All allegations were baseless. However, our marketing was weak because we failed to properly respond to BJP and AAP and this hurt the party’s cause.”
Satish Luthra further claimed that while Congress workers were misled initially, they are now returning to the party fold. “Even Congress workers were misled. Whether it is BJP or AAP, 60–70% of their workers originally belonged to Congress. Now, they are returning because the illusion that led them away from Congress has been shattered. In the last elections, Congress’s vote bank grew, and this time, Congress will form the government,” claimed the Congress party’s Shakur Basti candidate.
Luthra said that traffic snarl, waterlogging, non-functioning street lights and drinking water shortage are some of the key issues that his constituency is facing. Hitting out at the BJP over the polarization issue, Luthra said, “We are Hindus, but we do not feel the need to broadcast it. BJP leaders, on the other hand, are obsessed with proving their Hindu credentials, making them appear like fake Hindus.”
Delhi will vote on February 5 for all 70 seats in the single phase and the counting of votes will take place on February 8.