Chandni Chowk, Delhi’s charming hub of wholesale markets and street food delight, is among the national capital’s seven Parliamentary constituencies going to polls on May 25.

The seat going to polls in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections, has been a BJP backyard for the past two terms, largely due to its concentration of traders and businessmen.

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The united opposition under the INDIA bloc umbrella is fielding former Indian National Congress (INC) parliamentarian, Jai Prakash Agarwal to take on BJP’s Praveen Khandelwal, the founder of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), a popular trader body.

There are 25 candidates contesting from the seat across political parties including four independent contenders in the fray.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has so far remained away from any faction, has also fielded Abul Kalam Azad as its candidate from the seat. Nomination of another 13 candidates was rejected while one withdrew before polls.

Both Agarwal and Khandelwal have declared that they have no pending criminal cases in their respective affidavits to the Election Commission of India.

Area wise, Chandni Chowk is the smallest parliamentary constituency in Delhi, despite having densely populated areas of Old Delhi in the heart of the city. It encompasses the very popular Chandni Chowk market and several other areas such as Daryaganj, Matia Mahal, Ballimaran, among others, dating back to the ancient times of the walled city of Shahjahanabad.

The constituency still houses narrow lanes, famous attractions for tourists, hosting ancient architecture, and vibrant street life filled with the gastronomic extravaganza. Voters here showcase cultural diversity, belonging to varying backgrounds.

There are 10 assembly segments falling within the constituency including Adarsh Nagar, Shalimar Bagh, Shakur Basti, Tri Nagar, Wazirpur, Model Town, and Sadar Bazar.

Veteran Delhi BJP leader and former union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has been the Member of Parliament (MP) from Chandni Chowk since 2014. He announced his retirement from active politics after not getting a ticket in these elections.

Congress is contesting this seat under an agreement with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi. The grand old party is fielding its veteran JP Agarwal who has represented this seat in the past. He had lost out to Vardhan with a considerable margin in 2019.

Despite the commanding win of Vardhan, all assembly constituencies that fall under the Chandni Chowk LS seat were secured by the Aam Aadmi Party in 2020.

Water logging, contaminated supplies, and lack of ample parking spaces are concerns flagged by voters in Old Delhi. Air pollution during winters is being highlighted as a major inconvenience to residents of these congested localities. Residents are also aggrieved because of traffic congestion, encroachments and illegal constructions in the constituency.