Entry of Sheila Dikshit in poll battle makes it the most interesting fight in Lok Sabha polls: Manoj Tiwari

The entry of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the poll battle has made it one of the most interesting fights in the Lok Sabha elections as Delhi unit presidents of two national parties will be pitted against each other, BJP candidate Manoj Tiwari said on Friday. 

While Tiwari is the current MP of the North East Delhi constituency, octogenarian Dikshit, who heads the Delhi Congress has been fielded by her party from the same seat, after failing to form an alliance with the AAP in Delhi for the Lok Sabha polls.

"I respect Sheila ji and welcome her. She has made the North East Delhi poll contest one of the most interesting in the country," Tiwari, who is also BJP's Delhi unit chief, said.  

Tiwari said that the parliamentary polls in Delhi are a direct contest between the BJP and Congress while the AAP was trailing at third place.

The BJP currently holds all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi.

"An interesting thing about the North East Delhi constituency is that two presidents' of national parties are in the fray", he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) has fielded its senior leader and former convener of party's Delhi unit, Dilip Pandey.

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The contest also assumes significance because of a sizeable population of Muslim and Purvanchali voters in the constituency as well as Purvanchali background of both Tiwari and Pandey.

Pandey a former software engineer shifted base from Hong Kong years ago to join the AAP. He hails from Ghazipur in Eastern UP.

"I am the only candidate who has covered almost every part of the constituency and met voters door to door. As far as Tiwari is concerned, he has exploited sentiments of Purvanchali people but done nothing for them," Pandey told PTI.

The BJP has planned a road show in support of Tiwari in his constituency in which party chief Amit Shah is expected to participate in coming days, said a Delhi BJP leader.

In 2014, Tiwari polled nearly six lakh votes defeating his nearest rival Professor Anand Kumar of AAP by a margin of around 1.5 lakh votes. 

Congress candidate JP Agarwal got 2.14 lakh votes.

Agarwal has been fielded by the Congress this time from Chandni Chowk seat against incumbent MP and Union minister Harsh Vardhan