Today, On 26th March, A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court challenging the election victory of BJP leader Parvesh Verma over Arvind Kejriwal. The plea, submitted by NCP leader Vishvanath Agarwal, alleges that his nomination was unfairly rejected by the Returning Officer. Agarwal argues that this rejection influenced the election outcome, making the results invalid. The court’s decision on this case could have major political implications.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday requested a response from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Verma regarding an election petition contesting his victory in the New Delhi constituency during the 2025 assembly elections.
The petition, submitted by Vishvanath Agarwal of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), alleges that the Returning Officer did not accept his nomination form, which he claims compromised the integrity of the election results.
Agarwal is seeking a declaration that the elections be considered void and that fresh elections be conducted for the New Delhi seat.
Justice Jasmeet Singh addressed the case briefly, issuing notices to 26 respondents, which include Verma, the Election Commission of India, the State Election Commission, and other candidates who ran in the elections, including former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal.
The case is scheduled for the next hearing on May 27.
Verma won the election with 30,088 votes, defeating Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal by a margin of 4,089 votes.
In his petition, Agarwal (the petitioner) stated that when he arrived to submit his nomination form for the Delhi Legislative Assembly elections from the New Delhi constituency, the Returning Officer’s (RO) office was locked from the inside and secured by personnel.
Agarwal reported that he was instructed to wait in a crowded area until he could see the RO. He remained vigilant about the RO’s room and waited as directed. However, around 2:50 PM, an announcement was made that only those who entered the RO’s office by 3 PM would be eligible for nomination, creating a rush among candidates.
He noted that many candidates, as well as staff members, were unable to access the RO’s office due to the crowd. The 3 PM deadline passed while they waited for those already inside to exit, as per his account.
Agarwal claimed that he continued to wait on the premises until approximately 8 PM to meet the RO, but his nomination form was ultimately not accepted. He alleged that the RO threatened him and ordered him to leave the premises.
Additionally, Agarwal reached out to the District Magistrate and the Election Commission regarding his grievances, but his complaints went unaddressed, leading him to seek relief from the High Court.
Previously, he filed an appeal and a writ petition on the matter, both of which were dismissed for being non-maintainable. Consequently, he has now submitted an election petition requesting that the election be declared void.
The plea was filed with the assistance of advocate Kiral Bala Agarwal.
FOLLOW US ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES
