Rajinder Nagar bypoll: Arvind Kejriwal to hold roadshows for 3 days, seek votes for AAP’s Durgesh Pathak

New Delhi: Ahead of the upcoming Rajinder Nagar bypoll in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold roadshows for three straight days beginning from Friday (June 17)  to campaign for AAP candidate Durgesh Pathak. "Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will hold roadshows in Rajinder Nagar assembly constituency on June 17, 18 and 19, and seek votes for party's leader Durgesh Pathak who is contesting by-election from the seat," PTI cited AAP as saying. BJP has fielded Rajesh Bhatia against Pathak, while the Congress nominee is Prem Lata for the upcoming Rajinder Nagar bypoll. 

Senior leader and AAP MP Sanjay Singh while announcing Durgesh Pathak as the party candidate on May 28 had challenged Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta to contest against him in the Delhi byelection from the Rajinder Nagar seat. The seat has been vacant since AAP’s Raghav Chadha became a Rajya Sabha member from Punjab. Raghav Chadha was elected as an MLA from Rajinder Nagar in 2020. 

As many as 14 candidates have filed their nominations from the Rajinder Nagar seat, out of which one each is from the AAP, BJP and Congress, three others are from unrecognised parties. the rest eight candidates are in the fray as Independents.

With the AAP, BJP and Congress candidates, the fight for Rajinder Nagar bypoll is likely to be triangular. AAP has an edge in the bypoll as it has been bagging the Rajinder Nagar seat for the last two consecutive terms since the Arvind Kejriwal-led party came formed government in 2015. The BJP had won the seat in 2013, whereas for the last six terms since 1993, the Congress could only manage to win the seat once in 2008.

In May, the Election Commission had announced the schedule for by-election to three Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats across six states. The by-election to these seats will be held on June 23 and the counting of votes for the parliamentary and assembly bypolls will take place on June 26, the poll body had said. Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar assembly constituency will also go to the polls. 

(With agency inputs)