Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoj Tiwari on Wednesday filed his nomination as the party candidate from the North East Delhi Lok Sabha seat, where a direct fight is unfolding between him and Congress candidate Kanhaiya Kumar, who is backed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). BJP leader Harsh Malhotra also filed his nomination as the party candidate from the East Delhi seat where he is facing AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar.
After holding an hours-long roadshow accompanied by defence minister Rajnath Singh, Delhi Lok Sabha election in-charge Omprakash Dhankar, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, Tiwari arrived at the office of the North East Delhi district magistrate at 2.30pm and filed the nomination papers.
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“I want to thank the people of my Lok Sabha constituency. More than 50,000 people joined the nomination rally to give their blessing,” said Manoj Tiwari after leaving the district magistrate office.
An associate of Kanhaiya Kumar said the date on which he will file his nomination is yet to be finalised.
Tiwari, 53, a post-graduate, declared total moveable assets of ₹10,50,79,037 and total immovable assets of ₹17,52,00,000. His declared sources of income are singing, acting, rental income, and interest from bank. Tiwari owns five vehicles, which include an Audi car and a Mercedes car. This was an increase from his declared 2019 total assets of ₹24.28 crore.
“The Narendra Modi government is committed to building a prosperous nation with new thinking which will realise the vision of Vishwaguru India. The people of the country have made up their minds to elect the Modi government with a heavy majority for the third time, surpassing the target of 400 seats. The people of the country have outrightly rejected the INDI alliance, and the foundation of the NDA’s strength is increasing. Manoj Tiwari is going to become a Member of Parliament for the third time, and he enjoys the overwhelming support of workers and the respected citizens of the area,” Rajnath Singh said during the roadshow.
In a swipe at Kanhaiya Kumar, Tiwari said that the Congress is entangled in its own battle. “The Congress candidate (Kanhaiya Kumar) is not acceptable even to Congress leaders, and leaders are leaving the Congress. We are not bothered about that. We request the people of all faiths and castes to vote for the BJP again and reward me for the service I have done for them,” said Tiwari.
“Under the leadership of Modi, we are writing a new story of vikas (development) and virasat (heritage). A lot of work has been done and a lot of work is going to be done. The country has trust in Narendra Modi. My relationship with the voters of North East Delhi is that of love and trust, and for the third time we will win the North East Delhi seat which will contribute to making Narendra Modi the Prime Minister again,” said Manoj Tiwari.
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“The enthusiasm of the people in the roadshow indicates the mood of the country, and similar enthusiasm prevails throughout the country. Although there is low voter turnout, our vote percentage has not decreased, it is the supporters of the opposition who have rejected them and are sitting disappointed at home,” said Singh.
OP Dhankar said Manoj Tiwari will win the seat with a margin of more than 500,000 votes.
During the roadshow, Rajnath Singh, Manoj Tiwari and other BJP leaders visited Rathwala Mandir in Yamuna Vihar and offered prayers.
Subhead: Harsh Malhotra
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami joined the nomination procession of the BJP’s east Delhi candidate Harsh Malhotra. “The smiles and enthusiasm on the faces of BJP workers from East Delhi indicate that the beginning of the lotus bloom in Delhi will start from the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency first,” said Pushkar Singh Dhami. Malhotra expressed confidence that he would win the East Delhi seat.
Malhotra, 60, an LLB, has total moveable assets of ₹1.06 crore and total immoveable assets of ₹2.75 crore, according to his election affidavit.
Subhead: Poll race gets underway
So far, a total of 49 nomination forms have been received till May 1, said an election official. The nomination process for all the seven Lok Sabha seats of Delhi began on Monday after the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a notification for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
In Delhi, candidates can file their nominations with returning officers from 11am to 3pm till May 6. The nominations will be scrutinised on May 7 and can be withdrawn till May 9. The polling will take place on May 25 and the votes will be counted on June 4.
So far, four BJP candidates — Bansuri Swaraj from New Delhi, Yogendra Chandolia from North West, Manoj Tiwari from North East, and Harsh Malhotra from East — have filed their nominations. The AAP’s South Delhi candidate Sahiram Pahalwan has also filed his nominations.
The BJP’s West Delhi candidate Kamaljeet Sehrawat and South Delhi candidate Ramvir Singh Bidhuri are scheduled to file their nomination on Thursday.
An AAP official said AAP’s South Delhi candidate Sahi Ram Pahalwan filed his nomination on April 30, and the three other candidates of AAP are likely to file their nomination papers on May 4.
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