Modi Faces Challenge From Opposition Politician Out on Bail in Delhi Elections

Each day, Bloomberg journalists take you across a selection of towns and cities as they gear up for the big vote.

Hi, this is Vrishti Beniwal. I track the pulse of the Asian capital markets as an editor in New Delhi. My constituency is Chandni Chowk, nestled in the heart of the national capital. It is one of India’s culinary hotspots known for mouthwatering kebabs and spicy chaat, apart from a rich heritage and a bustling shopping district. Congested narrow roads and water shortages will be on top of the minds of voters, including my family, when they head to polling booths on May 25. Elections in Delhi are tough to predict. Citizens handed over a second consecutive landslide mandate to opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal’s party in state elections and then helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party win all seven federal parliament seats here in 2019 national polls. Modi is now in a pitched battle with Kejriwal, in an attempt to retain the seven constituencies. In Chandni Chowk, the BJP has fielded a local businessman hoping to secure the votes of the vast trading community and win for the third straight time. A united opposition may sour his plans, especially with attention focused on Kejriwal after he was released on bail; Modi’s government alleges corruption, Kejriwal says he is being politically persecuted.