Delhi CM Atishi trails BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri by 3,231 votes
What's the story
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is trailing behind Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Ramesh Bidhuri in the Kalkaji Assembly seat by nearly 3,231 votes, Election Commission trends showed. Atishi took over as chief minister after Arvind Kejriwal resigned amid corruption allegations. She had won the Kalkaji seat in 2020 by a margin of 11,393 votes.
Confidence expressed
Bidhuri expresses confidence in lead over Atishi
As trends showed him surging ahead, Bidhuri, a veteran BJP leader and former Lok Sabha MP, said, "If the people of Kalkaji want development, they will give a send-off to Atishi." "This lead (from Kalkaji) is the blessing of the people of Kalkaji." The contest in Kalkaji is a three-way race with Congress's Alka Lamba also in the fray along with AAP and BJP candidates.
Campaign controversy
Heated exchanges mark Kalkaji election campaign
During the election campaign, Bidhuri had attacked Atishi multiple times, including for dropping her surname "Marlena." "Marlena has become Singh... She has changed her father. She was Marlena earlier, but has become Singh now," he said. To this, Atishi alleged that Bidhuri was "seeking votes by abusing" her father at a press conference. He had also compared Atishi to a deer and slammed her for allegedly ignoring Delhi's streets for the last four years.