A leader close to Arvind Kejriwal has reacted after the announcement of Awadh Ojha, a famous teacher and who contested the assembly elections in Delhi from the Aam Aadmi Party, announced his retirement from politics. Former minister in Delhi government and AAP leader Somnath Bharti said that Awadh Ojha ji did not do the right thing.

He said that a mature and distinguished person like you should have considered options before entering politics with AAP. We were confident that you would continue to work with us regardless of the election outcome.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti wrote on social media platform

I have personal respect for you @OjhaAvadh57 Ji but politics is not a short term project and a person of your maturity and prominence should have weighed options before stepping into Politics and that too with @AamAadmiParty,

There were many who have worked hard since beginning… https://t.co/zjBNWfPkpD

— Somnath Bharti (@attorneybharti) December 2, 2025

‘Someone else could have been given ticket from Patparganj’

He further said, “Many people who worked hard from the beginning could have been given tickets from Patparganj, but the party gave you this opportunity with the belief that you will work with us regardless of the election results. AAP is the future of India and we should work hard to make it successful in all the states.

‘Nobody talks about people’s basic concerns’

Somnath Bharti asked, “Which party talks about improving education, healthcare and other basic needs of the common people, who form more than 90 per cent of India’s population?” Please listen to the speeches of BJP and Congress leaders, no one talks about the basic concerns of the common people.

After leaving politics, I am happier than before – Awadh Ojha

Let us tell you that well-known teacher Avadh Ojha has now completely distanced himself from politics. Recently he had announced his retirement from politics. He called this decision the best decision of his life. He believes that after leaving politics he is happier than before because now he has complete freedom to speak his mind.

In a post, he described the decision to retire from politics as personal and also called Arvind Kejriwal a great leader. It is noteworthy that Awadh Ojha had joined AAP just before the assembly elections in Delhi. The party had given him ticket from Patparganj assembly seat but he had to face defeat.

Voting is going on on Sunday, November 30 on 12 corporation seats in Delhi. Voting figures till 9.30 am have been revealed. So far 5.4 percent voting has taken place. The highest turnout was in Sangam Vihar ward, 9.44 percent. At the same time, the lowest turnout was in Greater Kailash ward at 2.77 percent.

Voting for by-elections in 12 wards of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) started on Sunday morning amid tight security arrangements. Voting will take place till 5:30 pm. This by-election is being considered an important opportunity to test the mood of the voters of the national capital after the big victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Delhi Assembly elections held at the beginning of the year.

Tight security arrangements during voting in MCD by-election

The State Election Commission has set up a total of 580 booths at 143 polling stations for the by-election. For fair and free voting, 2,320 Election Commission personnel, 580 home guards and 2,265 other employees have been deployed, along with 13 companies of Central Armed Police Forces have also been deployed.

8 women candidates in the election field

51 candidates including 26 women are in the fray in the MCD by-election. BJP has fielded eight women candidates in the election contest, followed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) six and Congress five. In the assembly elections, BJP returned to power in Delhi after 27 years by winning 48 out of 70 seats and ousted AAP from power.

Special arrangements for transportation, metro and DTC in alert mode

In view of the by-election, for the convenience of the polling staff and voters, Metro and DTC had changed their services and started the Metro services from 4 am on Sunday morning, so that the polling parties could reach the booth on time. Whereas the last train will run at around 11:30 pm.

DTC had also started special services from 3 am with additional buses on 35 routes. Night service will continue normally. For which the Commission has expressed gratitude for the help of both the institutions.

Due to this reason 12 seats were vacant

Out of the by-elections of 12 seats being held today, 11 seats became vacant because their councilors became MLAs by winning the 2025 assembly elections. Shalimar Bagh-B seat was vacated by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta after becoming MLA. At the same time, Dwarka-B seat became vacant last year when councilor Kamaljit Sehrawat became Lok Sabha MP.

The demand that the capital Delhi should now be changed to Indraprastha has been made by Chandni Chowk MP Praveen Khandelwal. He has sent a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying that the history of Delhi is thousands of years old and this is the same land where Pandavas had established their capital Indraprastha during the Mahabharata period. Therefore Delhi should be called by its ancient and glorious name.

MP Khandelwal has requested in his letter that Old Delhi Railway Station should be named Indraprastha Junction and Indira Gandhi International Airport should be named Indraprastha Airport. Also, grand statues of Pandavas should be installed at some prominent place in Delhi so that the new generation can connect with the ancient civilization and culture of India. He has also sent a copy of the letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

‘Indraprastha is not a name but a soul’

Khandelwal said that Indraprastha is not just a name but a symbol of governance based on India’s soul, religion and policy. When other historical cities of the country – Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Ujjain – have regained their ancient identity, then Delhi should also get its real name. He said that this change is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of cultural renaissance.

‘Indraprastha Nagar was born from Hastinapur’

He told that during the Mahabharata period (about 3000 BC), the Pandavas changed their capital from Hastinapur and established Indraprastha city on the banks of Yamuna. Later this area also remained a center of trade and culture during the Maurya, Gupta and Rajput periods. During the rule of Tomar kings, it was called Dhillika, from which the word Delhi was formed.

Praveen Khandelwal says that names like Indraprastha Airport and Indraprastha Junction will present the ancient identity of India to the world and will also promote religious tourism. This will also boost employment, business and local economy.

‘Coming generations can know the name’

He said, “Delhi is not just a modern capital but is the living heritage of the pious city of Pandavas. Now the time has come that the capital of the country should get back its real name and identity so that the coming generations can know that the capital of India is not only the center of power but also a land symbolizing the tradition of religion, policy and justice.”

The election bugle has been sounded to fill the vacant seats in 12 wards of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Announcing the by-election on Tuesday (28 October), the State Election Commission has fixed the voting date as 30 November. Voting will take place from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and along with this, the code of conduct has also been implemented in these wards.

According to the State Election Commission (Delhi), by-elections will be held in 12 wards out of 250 wards of MCD on November 30. Election notification will be issued from November 3 and the nomination process will also begin on the same day. The last date for filing nominations has been fixed as November 10 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations has been fixed as November 15.

The Election Commission has appointed 7 District Election Officers (DEO), 11 Returning Officers (RO), 11 Election Observers and Accredited Observers. Out of 12 wards, 6 are reserved for general category, 5 for women and 1 for Scheduled Caste category.

Candidates will be able to spend maximum up to Rs 8 lakh

According to the Election Commission, general category candidates will have to deposit Rs 5,000 and Scheduled Caste candidates will have to deposit Rs 2,500 as security money at the time of nomination. Each candidate will be allowed to spend a maximum of Rs 8 lakh on publicity.

About seven lakh voters will cast their votes

A total of 6,98,751 voters will exercise their franchise in the by-election. These include 3,74,988 men, 3,23,710 women, 53 third gender voters, 60 disabled voters, 14,529 senior citizens (above 80 years) and 4,458 youth (18 years).

A total of 580 polling stations have been made for voting. The maximum number of polling stations (55) will be built in Shalimar Bagh-B, the former ward of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

Slight difference between male and female voters

According to the data of the Commission, there is very little difference in the number of male and female voters in the three wards. Interestingly, the number of voters above 80 years of age (2.07%) is more than that of 18 year old youth (0.63%), which shows the active participation of senior citizens in the elections.

Ward wise number of voters

• Mundka (General) – 54,525
• Shalimar Bagh-B (Women) – 66,391
• Ashok Vihar (Women) – 56,697
• Chandni Chowk (General) – 44,166
• Chandni Mahal (General) – 46,237
• Dwarka-B (Women) – 66,184
• Dichaun Kalan (Women) – 72,396
• Narayana (General) – 59,340
• Sangam Vihar-A (General) – 59,365
• Dakshinpuri (Scheduled Caste) – 61,636
• Greater Kailash (Women) – 49,624
• Vinod Nagar (General) – 62,190

Why were these seats vacant?

Of these 12, 11 seats became vacant after the councilors became MLAs, while the Dwarka-B seat became vacant after MP Kamaljit Sehrawat became a Lok Sabha member in May last year. These include the seat of Shalimar Bagh, which became vacant after Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was elected as MLA.

Which party had which seats?

Of these 12 wards, three seats — Chandni Mahal, Chandni Chowk and Dakshinpuri were earlier held by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). While nine seats – Shalimar Bagh, Dwarka B, Greater Kailash, Dichaun Kalan, Narayana, Sangam Vihar, Vinod Nagar, Ashok Vihar and Mundka were in the possession of BJP.

Current situation and political equations of MCD

In the year 2022, all three MCDs were integrated, in which elections were held on 250 seats. Then AAP had won 134, BJP 104, Congress 8 and 3 independent candidates. Subsequently, in 2024–25, many AAP councilors joined the BJP and 16 councilors formed a new party, Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP). In this changed political equation, BJP won the mayoral elections held in April 2025 on the basis of majority.

At present, out of total 250 seats of MCD, 12 are vacant. The party-wise position on the remaining seats is as follows:
● BJP – 116 seats
● AAP – 98 seats
● Congress – 8 seats
● Indraprastha Vikas Party – 15 seats

All three parties have their eyes on these 12 seats

BJP, AAP and Congress – all three parties are considering these by-elections as very important. BJP is seeing this as an opportunity to strengthen its dominance in the corporation, while Aam Aadmi Party is trying to regain its lost seats. Whereas Congress is also hoping to make a comeback in this elections. Interestingly, all the parties claim that they will win all 12 seats.

Voting and results dates

◆ Nomination starts: 3 November
◆ Last date for nomination: 10 November
◆ Last date for withdrawal of nominations: 15 November
◆ Voting: November 30 (7:30 am to 5:30 pm)
◆ Declaration of results: 3 December

Congress prepared for candidate selection

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Devendra Yadav called an important meeting at Rajiv Bhawan today. In this, the selection of candidates for the by-elections to be held in 12 wards of MCD was discussed. During this, Devendra Yadav said that in the last 9 months, Rekha Gupta government of BJP has proved to be a failure in every field. People are now waiting for change. Anger against BJP is clearly visible in Delhi and Congress may get a chance for a big victory in these by-elections.

Attack on BJP, comparison with AAP

Devendra Yadav taunted that Rekha Gupta’s government turned out to be worse than the previous corrupt Aam Aadmi Party government. The promises made in the assembly elections – solving the problems of electricity and water, controlling cleanliness and pollution, repairing roads, solving the issue of demolition of houses and giving monthly honorarium of Rs 2500 to every woman – all hung in the balance.

Notification has been issued for by-elections on 12 seats of Delhi MCD. Voting will be held for by-elections on 12 MCD seats on November 30, while counting of votes will take place on December 3.

By-elections are to be held on 12 seats of Delhi Municipal Corporation. The State Election Commission has issued a notification regarding this. According to this, the nomination process will start from November 3 and the last date for nomination is November 10. Voting for 12 seats will be held on November 30, the results of which will be released on December 3.

In Delhi, Congress leader Udit Raj has made a big claim through X-Post. He says that officials of the Estate Directorate of the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India came to his residence and his household items were thrown out.

Giving information in his social media post, Udit Raj has written, “My house located at C1/38, Pandara Park, New Delhi-3 is allotted in the name of my wife Seema Raj. The authorities say that they will evict us from here tomorrow morning. My wife is retired and we have no intention of staying here for long. So we are looking for a private residence.”

My household items are being thrown on the road. pic.twitter.com/fVXk0iCiqW

—Dr. Udit Raj (@Dr_Uditraj) October 24, 2025

Udit Raj told that he was forced to stay at the residence for some time because his father-in-law was fighting a long illness and he passed away. However, Udit Raj himself told that he will shift to his house by the end of November.

‘Directorate is deliberately causing trouble’- Udit Raj

The Congress leader further said that the rent of this house is very high anyway and he is living here under compulsion. In the post, Udit Raj wrote, “The officials who came today advised us to speak to the Director/Joint Secretary in the Ministry and we tried to contact them, but to no avail. My wife has written to the Ministry to extend our stay for some time. She has gone to the court of the District and Sessions Judge, Patiala House Court, who has accepted her appeal and issued a notice to the Directorate and the matter is listed on 28.10.25.”

It seems that despite the matter being sub-judice, the Estate Directorate is deliberately resorting to forced eviction during holidays, so that we do not get any relief.

Today officers from the Directorate of Estates,Ministry of Urban Development, Govt of India came to my house at C1/38 ,Pandara Park, New Delhi-3 which is allotted in the name of my wife, Seema Raj and informed that they would evict us tomorrow morning. My wife is retired and we… pic.twitter.com/IBGEAnsZTU

—Dr. Udit Raj (@Dr_Uditraj) October 23, 2025

‘Nefarious intentions of upper caste people’- Udit Raj

Congress leader Udit Raj linked this issue to casteism. He said that there are many people who are worthy of kindness, but are living in luxurious bungalows under absurd excuses. I tried to contact the concerned minister Manohar Lal Khattar, but could not contact him. The selective action of the authorities and targeting of an opposition leader, who belongs to a lower caste and raised his voice against the increasing atrocities on Dalits, reflects the nefarious intentions of the upper caste dominant class in the current government.

What’s the hurry in this matter? I am ready to vacate the house soon, but why is the same yardstick not being applied to the so-called upper caste people who are living in even bigger houses? I will not step back even an inch in my fight for social justice.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson and former Delhi MLA RP Singh has met Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and raised an important issue. He has written a letter to the Chief Minister demanding a re-review of the case of 1993 Delhi bomb blasts convict Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar.

RP Singh has said in his letter that Bhullar’s mental condition is now very bad. He neither recognizes anyone nor talks to anyone. For the last several years, he has been suffering from the mental disease ‘schizophrenia’ and is undergoing treatment in the psychiatry department of Amritsar Medical College, Punjab.

Court order- Bhullar’s case should be placed before the Sentence Review Board.

RP Singh says that the Delhi High Court has recently ordered on 15 October 2025 that Bhullar’s case should be placed again before the Sentence Review Board (SRB) and after considering it, the report should be presented in the court. RP Singh has appealed to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to follow this order and put Bhullar’s case in the next SRB meeting as soon as possible.

Demand for mercy and condolences towards Bhullar

RP Singh also reminded in his letter that the Supreme Court has already commuted Bhullar’s death sentence to life imprisonment on humanitarian grounds. He said that his condition had deteriorated after being in jail and hospital for such a long time, hence now pity and sympathy should be shown towards him.

Death sentence commuted to life imprisonment after 13 years

It is noteworthy that Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar was convicted for the 1993 bomb blasts in Delhi, in which nine people died and many were injured. He was associated with Khalistan Liberation Force at that time. In 2001, the special court of Delhi sentenced him to death, which was changed to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court in 2014.

BJP spokesperson RP Singh said that this is the time to show human compassion more than justice. He expressed hope that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will take immediate steps in this direction so that the order of Delhi High Court is followed and a seriously ill prisoner can get relief.

The Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) will vote for the election 2025 on Thursday (September 18) for the election. The fate of about 20 candidates of different panels is going to be captured in EVMs today.

Voting will be done in two shifts for DUSU election. First voting will be held from 8:30 am to 1 pm. In the second shift, votes will be cast from 3 pm to 7:30 pm. At the same time, the result of this election will be declared on Friday (September 19).

Impact of strictness of court

At the same time, the strictness of Delhi High Court on DUSU elections has been clearly seen in the North Campus of Delhi University. The case is during the DUSU election 2024 last year, when the Delhi High Court reprimanded the student organizations for the dirt from posters, pamphlets and walls on the campus.

The court had clearly stated that action should be taken against those who dirty the campus and pollution from publicity materials should be stopped. The result of the same rebuke is that every year in the electoral atmosphere, the roads, walls and sails and promotional materials of the campus were read every year, this time the entire North Campus campus has been seen very clean.

Main contest between ABVP-NSUI

A total of 20 candidates are trying their luck for the four important posts of Dusu- President, Vice President, Secretary and Joint Secretary. Apart from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), National Students Union of India (NSUI), AISA, SFI and some other student organizations are also in the fray in this election.

The ABP News team interacted with the students of North Campus of Delhi University, on the basis of which it can be said that like every time, this time too, it is also seen between ABVP and NSUI. Both these prominent student organizations have fielded four of their candidates.

ABVP candidates

Chairman: Aryan Mann

Vice President: Govind Tanwar

Secretary: Kunal Chaudhary

Joint Secretary: Deepika Jha

NSUI candidates

Chairman: Josalin Nandita Chaudhary

Vice President: Rahul Jhansal

Secretary: Kabir

Joint Secretary: Lavkush Bhadana

Strong security arrangements

In a special conversation with ABP News, Dr. Rajesh Singh, the Chief Returning Officer of DUSU Election Committee, gave detailed information on the preparations for the voting and the procedure. He said, “We have got full support from Delhi Police to get DUSU Election 2025 in a peaceful and fair manner. Strong security arrangements have been made. This time a total of 52 calling centers have been set up so that students do not have any problem in casting their votes.”

EVM will vote

Dr. Singh also clarified that Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) will be used for DUSU election, while ballot paper for college counselors will be cast. This time more than 2.75 lakh students will exercise their franchise in DUSU election 2025. The results of the election will be declared by the evening of 19 September.

The noise of campaigning in the Delhi Students’ Union election has stopped on Wednesday (17 September). Earlier, veteran leaders gave their strength in publicity for the students. Votes will be cast on Thursday (September 18), while on Friday (September 19), the results of DUSU elections will be in front of everyone. At the same time, after the Delhi University Students’ Union election results, the High Court has banned the Delhi celebrations.

This time in the Delhi Students’ Union elections, a total of 20 candidates will try their luck for the posts of President, Vice President, Secretary and Joint Secretaries. SFI and AISA have aligned in this election. While the main match is believed to be between ABPV and NSUI.

NSUI bets on these student leaders

In the Delhi Students’ Union election, NSUI has expressed confidence in Josleen Nandita Chaudhary on the post of president. At the same time, Rahul Jhansla has been nominated for the post of Vice President, Kabir for Secretary and Lavkush Bhadana for the post of Joint Secretary.

ABVP gave tickets to these student leaders

Apart from this, ABVP has nominated Aryan Mann for the post of president in DUSU elections. Govind Tanwar has been nominated for the post of Vice President, Kunal Chaudhary for the post of Secretary and Deepika Jha for the post of Joint Secretary.

SFI-AISA nominated them

The SFI-ISA alliance is also in the fray in the Delhi Students’ Union election. On behalf of AISA, Anjali has been made a candidate for the post of president. At the same time, Vice President Sohan Kumar Yadav, Secretary Abhinandana candidate and Joint Secretary Abhishek Kumar have been given tickets.

How many college students will vote?

This time in DUSU elections, more than 2.75 lakh students of 52 colleges and departments of Delhi University will vote. In the student union elections, voting for EVM and college counselor will be done with ballot paper. Voting will be held through about 700 EVMs in this election.

How is the preparation for the election?

The Chief Returning Officer (CRO) of the Dusu Election Committee, Dr. Rajesh Singh said about the preparations and process of the voting, “We have got full support from Delhi Police to get DUSU Election 2025 in a peaceful and impartial manner. Large security arrangements have been made. This time a total of 52 calling centers have been set up so that there is no problem in casting a total of 52 calling centers.”

Voting date and time

Tomorrow, i.e. on September 18, voting will be held in two shifts.

Morning Shift (Morning College): 8:30 am to 1 pm.

Second Shift (Evening College): 3 pm to 7:30 pm.

Dr. Singh also clarified that Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) will be used for the DUSU election, while ballot paper will be cast for the college counselor. This time more than 2.75 lakh students will exercise their franchise in DUSU election 2025. The results of the election will be declared by the evening of 19 September.

Veterans campaigned

Please tell that this time veteran leaders campaigned in support of student leaders. For the candidates of NSUI, senior Congress leader and former Haryana CM Bhupendra Hooda and former Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot organized. At the same time, for the candidates of ABVP, minister and veteran leader Kirori Lal Meena and Haryana BJP in -charge Satish Poonia were also seen campaigning.

Last time the results were such

If we look at the results of the last time of the Delhi University Students Union election, then the last time the NSUI won the post of president. At the same time, the post of Joint Secretary, NSUI also won the victory. Last time Raunak Khatri won the post of Joint Secretary and Lokesh. Apart from this, ABVP won the post of vice president and secretary. It won the post of Bhanu Pratap Vice President and Mritrrinda as Secretary.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj has made serious allegations against ED and BJP. After the raid on August 27, Saurabh Bhardwaj has surrounded BJP leaders. In a unique performance, Saurabh Bhardwaj is seen looking for his Greater Kailash kothi and farmhouse. He has sought help from BJP leaders for this.

Saurabh Bhardwaj says, “For the last 10 years, small leaders of BJP have been saying at a tea or paan shop that Saurabh Bhardwaj has taken a kothi and farmhouse, we know. This is not a big BJP leader, because he knows that I know that I will make a case of defamation, I will have to give them to take them. So I am asking the younger leaders to tell you that I am asking me and I have also told me. Why do you tell the tea to the ED. “

Not only this, Saurabh Bhardwaj also said to give a reward of 25 lakh rupees for telling the address of Kothi. He said while tightening. “If we get our crores of kothi, then we will also give 25 lakh rupees to that poor.”

‘Either tell the address or stop the nonsense BJP leader’- Saurabh Bhardwaj
Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj, taking the name of Shikha Rai and Virendra Sachdeva, said, “The BJP leader who has courage, today hold a press conference and tell me where my kothi and farmhouse are? If you cannot tell, then stop doing this nonsense.”

#Watch Delhi | Aap Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj Says, “Local BJP Workers have been sporesing the information Know, I will give Rs 25 laakhs as a reward … “… https://t.co/j9syru5rhr pic.twitter.com/SZFVRGDLBF

– ANI (@ani) August 31, 2025

Saurabh Bhardwaj is distributing street form
Saurabh Bhardwaj and his supporters are also distributing a yellow papers going to the street, on which it is written- ‘Tell me the address of my Greater Kailash Kothi. Many people who defame our villages were telling for the last 10 years that they have seen my GK or Saket Kothi. They know everything. I did not dare to speak in front of me, so I used to speak back.

‘If you get any property other than the ancestral house, then tell us too’- Saurabh Bhardwaj
It is further written in the leaflet, “They are requested, ED and please tell me the address of that kothi. Help the central government. Nothing happens by telling lies in the streets. Tell the ED, tell your BJP CM. Apart from the ancestral house of Chirag Delhi, if you know any of my property then tell the ED immediately. Your Saurabh Bharadwaj.”