Bypoll in Rajinder Nagar on June 23, results 3 days later

NEW DELHI: By-elections to the Rajinder Nagar assembly constituency in Delhi will be held on June 23, and the counting will take place on June 26, the Election Commission said on Wednesday.

The seat was vacated after the sitting MLA from the Aam Aadmi Party, Raghav Chadha, was nominated to the Rajya from Punjab where the AAP won assembly elections in March.

In a press statement, the commission announced bypolls for vacancies in 10 parliamentary and assembly seats in six states.

The statement said that votes will be counted on June 26 and the notification for the bypolls will be issued on May 30. With Wednesday’s announcement, the model code of conduct has come into force in all the constitthe uencies where bypolls are going to be held.

In 2020 Delhi assembly elections, Chadha won the seat by a margin of 20,058 votes against his rival RP Singh of the BJP. The Congress fielded student leader Rocky Tuseed from the seat.

The BJP had won the seat in 1998 and 2003 elections. The Congress candidate won the seat in 2008, but the BJP won again in 2013. However, the AAP won seat in both 2015 and 2020 assembly polls.

The BJP has launched a campaign to expose alleged failures of the Delhi government, and the AAP has rubbished its claims saying the campaign has completely failed.

The AAP has appointed Durgesh Pathak as the election in-charge of the assembly constituency.

Nearly 41% families in the area are Punjabi, and it has a mix of middle and upper middle income group families in localities such as the New Rajendra Nagar, Old Rajendra Nagar and Pandav Nagar.

The seat has three designated villages as well -- Dasgarha (dominated by Jats), Todapur (Yadav majority) and Naraina (mixed demography).

It also has 12 slums, such as Sonia Gandhi camp, Bihari Colony and Rajiv Gandhi camp.

OFFICIAL RECORDS SHOW THAT 41% FAMILIES IN THE AREA ARE PUNJABI. IT IS LARGELY COMPOSED OF MIDDLE AND UPPER MIDDLE INCOME GROUP FAMILIES