Visiting temples, gurudwaras and dargahs, AAP leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia began his first day of campaigning in Jangpura on Tuesday. The three-time MLA from East Delhi’s Patparganj has contested the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections from this seat, replacing incumbent MLA Praveen Kumar. In his old seat, the party has nominated the newly appointed educationist Awadh Ojha.
In the morning, Sisodia first went to the Anguri Devi temple in Kilokree with his wife Seema and Kumar to “take blessings” before starting his election campaign in the constituency. He also visited Damdama Sahib Gurudwara and Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.
Taking X, Sisodia wrote: “Jangpura assembly constituency is a wonderful blend of social, political and spiritual heritage of India. In 1917 Sant Harinpushpa Ji Maharaj established an Ashram here with names like ‘Ashram’ and ‘Harinagar’.
In another post, Sisodia shared a picture of him attending a Hanuman Chalisa recitation at a temple and wrote: “Election campaign starts from Jangpura Assembly … reciting Hanuman Chalisa at the feet of Bajranjabali Maharaj.”
Sources said that the Aam Aadmi Party’s strategy for the seat is keeping in mind the diversity of the constituencies. According to a senior leader, the constituency has around 200,000 voters – 12% Muslims, 16-18% Sikhs and Punjabi refugees, 25-30% rural voters, and 25% urban voters.
In the past, party leaders have drawn parallels from the Ramayana between its leaders and Lord Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman. Sisodia’s posts on X during the day also seemed to agree on the composition of the seat. “… The region is home to pilgrimage sites such as the Pandava-era Shiva Temple (Jalvihara), the sacred Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah and the historic Damdama Sahib Gurdwara. Today, while starting my campaign in Jangpura, I visited these holy places to receive spiritual energy and blessings…,” he said.
The party sees Jangpura as a “safe” seat and hopes that the Dalit and Muslim population in areas like Nehru Nagar, Sunlight Colony, Nizamuddin Basti and Daryaganj will give it to Sisodia, which will see Sisodia win Patparganj by a slim margin of just 3,200 in 2020. Vote, easy win.
Addressing the media later, Sisodia took aim at the BJP, saying that when it seeks votes, people respond by showing Arvind Kejriwal’s excellent schools and zero electricity bills. “People also ask why law and order is so weak in Delhi and why there is an atmosphere of fear, for which the BJP has no answer.”
He added that it didn’t matter where one contested from: “When I was MLA and Deputy Chief Minister from Patparganj, I also worked extensively for Jangpura. I personally supervised the construction of a school in Jangpura. Whether the people of Jangpura elect me as their MLA or not , my commitment remains the same – I will continue to work for all of Delhi.
Hitting out at AAP, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapur said, “AAP may be thinking that this is a safe seat but Sisodia’s image as a representative of the people has changed. Also, for a candidate from Jangpura to leave his home of Patpaganj, it will also be detrimental because people are against him. He has lost faith…he may visit temples, mosques and gurudwaras…but people have made up their minds.