Shikha Rai’s victory in Greater Kailash highlights the BJP’s strong women-led election surge in Delhi.
New Delhi: Shikha Rai is among the several women candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who not only contested the Delhi Assembly elections but also proved her significance within the party. She emerged as one of the prominent “giant killers” by defeating Delhi Cabinet Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj from the Greater Kailash Assembly constituency.
The Greater Kailash Assembly constituency in Delhi went to the polls on February 5, 2025. The electoral battle in this high-profile seat featured three main candidates—Saurabh Bharadwaj from AAP, Shikha Roy from BJP, and Garvit Singhvi from the Indian National Congress (INC).
Rai, a two-time BJP councillor from Ward No. 173 within the Greater Kailash constituency, managed to defeat Delhi’s Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, who had previously secured this seat for two consecutive terms. The 60-year
Following her victory, Rai took to her social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express gratitude to the residents of Greater Kailash.
In her post, she stated, “I am deeply grateful to all the family members of the Greater Kailash Vidhan Sabha constituency for showering me with their love and blessings in the Assembly elections. This victory is not just mine; it belongs to the residents of Greater Kailash, to every mother, sister, elder, and young companion. It is also the victory of all the hardworking party workers who have given me this golden opportunity to serve Greater Kailash through their unconditional support and relentless efforts. Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all for this monumental win.”
Apart from Rai, several other women candidates from the BJP secured victories in this election. Among them was
Rekha Gupta, who emerged victorious in the Shalimar Bagh constituency by defeating Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Bandana Kumari with a significant margin of 29,595 votes. Gupta secured a total of 68,200 votes, whereas AAP’s candidate received 38,605 votes.
Similarly, in Wazirpur, BJP’s Poonam Sharma triumphed over AAP’s Rajesh Gupta with a margin of approximately 11,425 votes. Sharma garnered 54,721 votes, while Gupta managed to secure 43,296 votes. Congress candidate, Ragini Nayak, finished a distant third, obtaining only 6,348 votes.
In Najafgarh, BJP’s Neelam Pahalwan secured a decisive victory over AAP’s Tarun Kumar Yadav, winning by a substantial margin of 29,009 votes. Pahalwan received 101,708 votes, while Yadav secured 72,699 votes. Congress candidate Sushma Devi Yadav came in third place in the constituency, managing to secure only 2,902 votes.
However, not all of BJP’s women candidates performed equally well in the elections. In Matia Mahal, BJP’s Deepti Indora suffered a significant defeat at the hands of AAP’s Aaley Mohammed Iqbal, losing by a margin of around 42,000 votes. Similarly, in Tilak Nagar, Shveta Saini was defeated by AAP’s Jarnail Singh by a margin of approximately 11,000 votes. Additionally, in Kondli, BJP’s Priyanka Gautam lost to AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar.
Meanwhile, in Seemapuri, AAP candidate Veer Singh Dhingan won by 10368 votes, defeating BJP candidate Rinku.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi responded to the massive defeat of I.N.D.I.A bloc member AAP in Delhi, stating that the electorate was discontented and voted for change.
As the BJP secured a decisive victory, Gandhi extended her congratulations to the winners and emphasised the need for the opposition to work harder and stay connected with the people.
She remarked, “It was evident from all the meetings that the people wanted a change, and they voted accordingly. My congratulations to the winners. For the rest of us, this outcome signifies that we need to work harder, remain on the ground, and be more responsive to the people’s concerns.”