New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency which is Delhi’s oldest constituency, comprises the following Vidhan Sabha segments: Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar, Moti Nagar, Delhi Cantonment, Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi, Kasturba Nagar, Malviya Nagar, RK Puram and Greater Kailash.
This constituency houses several prestigious institutions like Parliament House, the Supreme Court, ministries and other central government offices, the official residences of the President, the Prime Minister, all union ministers, top civil, judicial and military officials and the diplomatic enclave, making it one of the most high-profile areas of Delhi.
Read more: Missing names and missed opportunities: A Chennai citizen’s experience of elections
Meenakshi Lekhi of the Bharatiya Janata Party has been the MP for this constituency, winning two consecutive terms in 2014 and 2019. She won by a margin of 1,62,708 votes and 2,56,504 votes respectively.
In the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Indian National Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have come together as part of the INDIA Bloc and have agreed to a seat-sharing arrangement where INC is contesting three Lok Sabha seats while AAP gets four seats.
For the New Delhi constituency, AAP has nominated three-time MLA Somnath Bharti, who will be contesting against BJP’s Bansuri Swaraj, a newbie and daughter of the late former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj.
At a glance – New Delhi Parliamentary Constituency
| Constituency Name | New Delhi |
| Number of voters (2024) | 14,81,338 |
| Male voters | 8,08,721 |
| Female voters | 6,72,544 |
| Other voters | 73 |
Map of the constituency
Find your polling booth
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Past election results
| 2019 | Candidate | Sex | Party | Votes received | Vote Share (%) |
| 1 | Meenakshi Lekhi | F | Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP | 5,04,206 | 54.77 |
| 2 | Ajay Makan | M | Indian National Congress (INC) | 2,47,702 | 26.91 |
| 3 | Brijesh Goyal | M | Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) | 1,50,342 | 16.33 |
Incumbent MP: Meenakshi Lekhi, BJP
Meenakshi Lekhi of the BJP has often been called “an absentee MP” for not being available to her constituents. Across the New Delhi parliamentary constituency a common refrain has been “Meenakshi Lekhi kabhi nahi dekhi.” In 2023, Ramesh, an independent candidate from the 2019 Lok Sabha elections filed a petition against Meenakshi Lekhi regarding alleged corrupt electoral practices.
| Name/Party | Meenakshi Lekhi/BJP |
| DOB | 30-Apr-1967 |
| Educational Qualification | B.Sc. (Hons), LL.B. Educated at Hindu College and Campus Law Centre – I, Delhi University, Delhi |
| Profession | Advocate, Political and Social Worker |
| mrs.mlekhi@sansad.nic.in mrs.mlekhi@gmail.com | |
| Contact Number | 9810729643, 011-23327501, 011-23327502 |
| Address | C-98A, South Extension, Part-II New Delhi-110049 |
Online presence
- Website: Not available
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLekhiBJP/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrs.mlekhi/?hl=en
- YouTube: Not available
- X: https://twitter.com/m_lekhi?lang=en
Criminal cases
Based on the affidavit that Meenakshi Lekhi filed in 2019, there are no criminal cases against her.
Assets and liabilities declared in 2019
Total assets (Movable + Immovable): Rs 36.14 crore
Total liabilities: Rs 79.38 lakh
Positions held
In 17th Lok Sabha:
- Union Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs; and Union Minister of State, Ministry of Culture (July 2021 onwards)
- Chairperson, Joint Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 (2019-2021)
- Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Defence (2019-2021)
- Member, General Purposes Committee, Lok Sabha (2019-2021)
- Member, Committee of Privileges (2019-2021)
- Member, Standing Committee on External Affairs (2019-2021)
- Chairperson, Committee on Public Undertakings (2019-2021)
- Member, Panel of Chairpersons, Lok Sabha (2019-2021)
Read more: Lok Sabha 2024: Know your MP — Abu Taher Khan, Murshidabad
In 16th Lok Sabha
- Member, Press Council of India (Nov 2017)
- Chairperson, Committee on Privileges (2016-2019)
- Member, Joint Committee on Offices of Profit (2014-2019)
- Member, Standing Committee on Urban Development (2014-2019)
- Member, Press Council of India (2014-2019)
- Member, Committee on Privileges (2014-2016)
- Member, House Committee (2014-2019)
2010 – National Vice President, BJP Mahila Morcha
Source: Lok Sabha
Performance in Parliament
| MP | Attendance | No of Debates | No of Questions | Private Member’s Bill |
| Meenakshi Lekhi | 89% | 51 | 133 | 0 |
| National Average | 79% | 24.4 | 77 | 0.3 |
| State Average | 80% | 21 | 89 | 0.8 |
Meenakshi Lekhi has done fairly well with an overall 89% percent attendance and having participated in 51 debates which is much higher than the national average and state average of 24.4 and 21 respectively. She has been quite active in terms of asking questions in parliament. The number of questions stands at 133 which is way higher than the national average of 77 questions. However, she hasn’t initiated any private member bills.
The debates she participated in were on varying subjects, some of which are listed below:
- Discussion on air pollution and climate change
- Issue of pollution in Yamuna river
- The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019
- Request to govt. to take action against Aam Aadmi Party in the case of Shaheen bagh protest
- Discussion on the recent law and order situation in some parts of Delhi
- Regarding Manual Scavenging
In terms of questions asked, the list of topics includes:
- Promotion of CNG
- Single Use Plastic
- Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture
- Water Mafia in Cities
- Special Economic Zones
- Monitoring of Air Pollution
MPLAD funds utilisation**
| Cumulative works recommended by MP | Rs 26.39 crore |
| Amount sanctioned | Rs 16.91 crore |
| Expenditure incurred | Rs 7.27 crore |
There is no additional information regarding the type of developmental works undertaken by her in the New Delhi constituency. One news article highlights the developmental works she has undertaken – by setting up 400 open gyms and installing street lights in her constituency.
Read more: What’s behind first time voters’ lukewarm response in these hot summer elections?
Candidates contesting in 2024
A total of 54 applications were received for candidature of New Delhi constituency. Out of these, 29 were accepted and 25 were rejected. In all, there are 17 contestants in the fray.
| Bansuri Swaraj, Female, 40 Party: BJP Education: Post Graduate Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 19,29,46,528 Total liabilities: Nil Click here for affidavit |
| Raaj Kumar Anand, Male, 57 Party: Bahujan Samaj Party Education: Post Graduate Pending criminal cases: 2 Total assets: Rs 83,57,25,650 Total liabilities: Rs 35,55,17,833 Click here for affidavit |
| Somnath Bharti, Male, 49 Party: Aam Aadmi Party Education: Post Graduate Pending criminal cases: 5 Total assets: Rs 2,23,73,059 Total liabilities: Rs 15,06,575 Click here for affidavit |
| Achla Jethmalani, Female, 54 Party: Jindabad Kranti Party Education: Post Graduate Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 4,18,00,000 Total liabilities: Nil Click here for affidavit |
| Upendra, Male, 36 Party: Anjaan Aadmi Party Education: Graduate Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 10,15,430 Total liabilities: Rs 1,19,700 Click here for affidavit |
| Dinesh Kumar, Male, 54 Party: Peoples Party of India (Democratic) Education: 8th class pass Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 10,62,507 Total liabilities: Nil Click here for affidavit |
| Punam Pandey, Female, 49 Party: Rashtravadi Loktantrik Party (India) Education: 12th pass Pending criminal cases: 2 Total assets: Rs 2,66,86,500 Total liabilities: Rs 1,10,00,000 Click here for affidavit |
| Prithvi Nath Singh, Male, 61 Party: Bharatiya Sampuran Krantikari Party Education: Graduate Pending criminal cases: 3 Total assets: Rs 1,18,17,000 Total liabilities: Nil Click here for affidavit |
| Prem Singh, Male, 53 Party: Navarang Congress Party Education: 10th pass Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 3,84,000 Total liabilities: Nil Click here for affidavit |
| Manoj Kumar Sharma, Male, 48 Party: Loktantrik Janshakti Party Education: LLB, DS College, Aligarh Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 2,45,96,500 Total liabilities: Rs 10,50,000 Click here for affidavit |
| Mahesh Kumar Denwal, Male, 49 Party: Ambedkarite Party of India Education: 10th pass Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 33,73,540 Total liabilities: Rs 7,28,270 Click here for affidavit |
| Lukman Khan, Male, 62 Party: Log Party Education: 5th class pass Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 2,10,34,098 Total liabilities: Nil Click here for affidavit |
| Sandhya Thakkar, Female, 42 Party: Rashtriya Republican Party Education: Post Graduate Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 2,40,74,798 Total liabilities: Rs 86,14,583 Click here for affidavit |
| Dilip Singh, Male, 65 Independent candidate Education: Post Graduate Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 1,00,01,442 Total liabilities: Nil Click here for affidavit |
| Ravinder Singh, Male, 46 Independent Candidate Education: 10th pass Pending criminal cases:0 Total assets: Rs 35,05,000 Total liabilities: Nil Click here for affidavit |
| Sanjay Rawat, Male, 50 Independent Candidate Education: Graduate Pending criminal cases: 0 Total assets: Rs 1,77,82,379 Total liabilities: Nil Click here for affidavit |
| Hira Lal, Male, 61 Independent Candidate Education: Post Graduate Pending Criminal Cases:0 Total assets: Rs 7,14,52,652 Total liabilities: Nil Click here for affidavit |
Key issues in New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency
The oldest constituency in the national capital boasts of historical buildings, upscale residential areas, well-maintained parks and some of the most high-profile localities in the city. But the constituency is also a study in contrast — while the prime localities have excellent roads and good civic infrastructure, areas in the periphery are struggling with overflowing sewage and drainage issues.
The constituency also has many unauthorised colonies, where residents are struggling due to a lack of basic amenities such as water and power supply, roads and so on.
Key candidates in the news
Somnath Bharti, a three-time MLA from Malviya Nagar constituency has been nominated by AAP following an alliance with the Congress. He was an active member of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement and is one of the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party. Somnath was appointed Minister of Law, Tourism, Administrative Reforms, and Art and Culture in the Delhi government from December 2013 to February 2014.
Somnath Bharti hails from Nawada in Bihar and has practised as a lawyer in both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court.
In response to a DDA notice regarding the demolition of slums in Delhi’s RK Puram, Somnath Bharti vowed to “lie in front of the bulldozers” if the central government authority went ahead with the demolition. He argued that BJP cares only for the wealthy capitalists, not the poor. In 2021, he had ink hurled at him in Rae Bareli and was arrested later for allegedly making objectionable statements against UP CM Yogi Adityanath.
Bansuri Swaraj, a supreme court lawyer by profession will be making her debut in the Lok Sabha elections 2024. She has served as a lawyer in the BJP for over a decade after which she was made the Secretary of the Delhi BJP. She is the daughter of late former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj.
In an interview with TimesNow, Bansuri Swaraj remarked “We are a nationalist party and a responsible party and will stand for any kind of injustice. BJP talks about creation of wealth and opposition talks about redistribution of wealth”.
During an interview with PTI, she asserted that the BJP has kept all its promises, be it removing Article 370, construction of Ram temple or bringing the legislation providing 33 per cent reservation for women in state assemblies and Parliament. In a recent campaign speech, she announced that 25% of the MPLAD funds would be allocated to the RWAs of New Delhi constituency.
** Figures for MPLAD funds utilisation have been updated based on latest figures available.