Delhi General (Lok Sabha) Elections 2014

Delhi is the National Capital Territory of India. It is the largest Indian city and the second most populous city in the world. It is also the most densely populated region in the country. Delhi and its adjoining urban areas have been given the status of the National Capital Region (NCR).

Delhi became the capital of British India in 1911, when the British shifted its capital from Calcutta. After India's independence, it was officially declared the capital of India in 1947. At present, Delhi enjoys the status of a Union Territory (UT) and has its own state legislature and is the only Union Territory with a High Court of its own.

Representation at the Centre

The NCT of Delhi has seven Lok Sabha constituencies which is the highest among other UTs. These are Chandni Chowk, North East Delhi, East Delhi, New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and North West Delhi. The North West Delhi constituency is reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC). There is no reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates.

Delhi sends three members to the Rajya Sabha. The state legislature is unicameral and has 70 members.

Political Parties

The main political parties in Delhi are:

• Indian National Congress (INC)
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)

Some important regional and state parties active in Delhi are:

• Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
• Communist Party of India (CPI)
• Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
• Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)

Election History

The INC has been the most dominant party in the political history of Delhi. In 1956, the Delhi legislative assembly was abolished and Delhi was directly brought under central rule. In 1993, the state was re-established. Congress had a stronghold over the state till the 1993 elections brought the BJP to power. In its tenure till 1998, BJP gave Delhi three Chief Ministers, Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma and Sushma Swaraj. In 1998, again INC led by Sheila Dixit formed the government. In the 2013 assembly elections however anti-incumbency and pro-Kejriwal wave swept across Delhi and INC was reduced to just eight seats. The Aam Aadmi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal came to power with external support from the INC. However, the AAP government lasted for just 49 days and currently Delhi is under the President's rule.

In the elections to the Lok Sabha, INC won most seats in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd elections. In the fourth Lok Sabha elections held in 1967, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS) was the leading party. INC won all the constituencies in the 1971 and 1984 elections, but in the 1977 elections, the Bharatiya Lok Dal (BLD) emerged as the largest party in Delhi. In the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, BJP has seen huge success. It became the leading party for the first time in the 1989 elections and retained that position in the 1991, 1996, 1998 and 1999 elections. But its performance plummeted in the 2004 and 2009 elections, while INC became the leading party.

Prominent Political Personalities

The 2014 Lok Sabha polls were held on 10 April in Delhi. Some prominent personalities who were in the fray in Delhi were :

• Ashish Khetan : He is a noted investigative journalist, and was an AAP candidate from New Delhi. This was his foray into electoral politics.


• Ashutosh : He is a veteran TV journalist and will contest on a AAP ticket from the Chandni Chowk constituency. He is also the spokesperson of the party.


• Raj Mohan Gandhi : He is an eminent scholar and is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. He contested on a AAP ticket from the East Delhi constituency.

Some important politicians of Delhi who are also members of the Parliament are:

• Kapil Sibal : He was an INC MP from Chandni Chowk. He is currently the Union Minister of Law and Justice and Communications and Information Technology. He was first appointed as a Rajya Sabha member in 1998 in Bihar. He has held positions in the Ministry of Science & Technology and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.


• Ajay Maken : He is a member of the INC and represented the New Delhi constituency in the 15th Lok Sabha. He is a former Union Minister and at present is the General Secretary of the INC.


• Krishna Tirath : She was an MP from the North West Delhi constituency. She started her political career as an MLA and was the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Women and Child Development.

Famous Politicians

• Chaudhury Brahm Prakash : He was a freedom fighter and played a significant role in the Individual Satyagraha movement and Quit India Movement. He was the first Chief Minister of Delhi and was also a former Union Minster for Food, Agriculture, Irrigation and Cooperatives.


• Madan Lal Khurana : He is a prominent leader of the BJP. He started his political career as a student leader and went on to become the first non-Congress Chief Minister of Delhi. He also served as the Governor of Rajasthan.


• Sahib Singh Verma : He was an important leader of the BJP and was the fourth Chief Minister of Delhi. He was a member of the 13th Lok Sabha and was a former Union Minister of Labour.


• Sheila Dixit : She is the longest serving Chief Minister of Delhi. She led the INC in three consecutive victories in assembly elections and was in power from 1998 to 2013. At present, she is the Governor of Kerala.


• Sushma Swaraj : She is a prominent leader of the BJP and was the first female Chief Minister of Delhi. She is also a former Union Minister and is the current Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.


• Vijay Kumar Malhotra : He is a politician of the BJP and represented Delhi Sadar and South Delhi constituencies in the 9th and 14th Lok Sabha, respectively. He is also a former leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly.


• Janardan Dwivedi : He is a politician of the INC and was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Delhi in 2004.


• Arvind Kejriwal : He is the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and was the 7th Chief Minister of Delhi. He is well-known for his role in making the Right to Information Act a reality, and has received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2006.

Election Highlights

Quick Facts

No. of PCs: 7 No. of Polling Days: 1 Polling Dates: 10 April (Phase 3) No. of Polling Stations: 11,763 No. of Polling Station locations: 2,534 Total Electors: 1,19,32,069 (as on 16th December 2013) Electors in Age Group 18 to 25 years: 19.6% Women Electors: 44.58% Poll Expenditure Limit per Candidate : Rs. 70 lakhs

Major issues and concerns

Crime against women : 1,121 rape cases were reported in 2013 from January to August. The number is the highest in the last 13 years. Infant Mortality Rate : From 2010 to 2012, the capital city has witnessed the worst rise in Infant Mortality Rate. As per data, 30 out of every 1,000 newborns did not survive, while 64% of them died within the first 28 days of their birth. The current figure stands at 25, although much needs to be improved. Other issues Corruption, Law & Order, Anti-incumbency, Education, Healthcare facilities, Inflation

Delhi Parliamentary Constituency Winners 2009

PC No.	PC Name	Category	Winning Candidate	Gender	Party	Total Votes
1	Chandni Chowk	GEN	Kapil Sibal	M	INC	465713
2	North East Delhi	GEN	Jai Prakash Agarwal	M	INC	518191
3	East Delhi	GEN	Sandeep Dikshit	M	INC	518001
4	New Delhi	GEN	Ajay Makan	M	INC	455867
5	North West Delhi	(SC)	Krishna Tirath	F	INC	487404
6	West Delhi	GEN	Mahabal Mishra	M	INC	479899
7	South Delhi	GEN	Ramesh Kumar	M	INC	360278

Parliamentary Constituencies in Delhi

PC No.	PC Name	PC No.	PC Name
1	Chandni Chowk	5	North West Delhi
2	North East Delhi	6	West Delhi
3	East Delhi	7	South Delhi
4	New Delhi

Last Updated on : June 18, 2014