HC issues notice to Parvesh Verma on plea challenging New Delhi seat win

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court notified PWD minister Parvesh Verma regarding a petition contesting his election from the New Delhi constituency in the upcoming 2025 assembly elections.

Justice Jasmeet Singh released the notice and requested a response from the Election Commission of India (ECI) and 23 candidates, such as AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal and Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit, who ran in the elections from New Delhi.

The application was submitted by an individual who asserted that he was denied the opportunity to file his nomination to take part in the election process. The supreme court scheduled the case for another hearing on May 27.

In the petition, Vishvanath Agarwal has requested a ruling to deem the election for the New Delhi constituency invalid. He also aimed to instruct the ECI, represented by advocate Ankit Agarwal, to hold new elections for the seat.

The petitioner asserted that although he arrived at the returning officer’s office before 3 pm on January 17 with all required documents, he was denied the opportunity to submit his nomination form, which is essential for election participation.

Verma received 30,088 votes in the election, winning against his nearest competitor, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, by a difference of 4,089 votes. Dikshit also ran in the elections from that same constituency. The polls for the Delhi Assembly took place on February 5, and the outcomes were revealed on February 8.