New Delhi: Parvesh Verma, representing the BJP, experienced a resurgence in his political career, emerging as a "giant-killer" in 2025 by defeating Arvind Kejriwal in a closely contested race in New Delhi.
Verma, known more for controversies than substantive achievements, secured over 25,000 votes, winning by 1,200 votes against the Aam Aadmi Party Supremo Arvind Kejriwal, who has served as chief minister of Delhi for three consecutive years. His rival, Sandeep Dikshit from Congress, also contested but did not secure a win.
Who Is Parvesh Verma?
Having a background in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Verma once thrived in national elections, winning the West Delhi parliamentary seat in both 2014 and 2019. However, he missed out on the 2024 elections, prompting his return to state politics.
As an MP, he has been part of the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances and the Standing Committee on Urban Development. Ahead of the 2025 Delhi elections, Verma launched the "Remove Kejriwal, Save the Nation" campaign, critiquing the AAP government's failure to address pollution, women's safety, and civic infrastructure, notably highlighting their unfulfilled promise to purify the Yamuna River.
In 2022, Parvesh Verma incited controversy by advocating a "total boycott" of the Muslim community during a speech in North-East Delhi, where he urged supporters to "set them straight" and led them in a pledge.
Political Lineage
Parvesh Verma is part of a notable political lineage in Delhi; he is the son of former BJP leader and chief minister Sahib Singh Verma. His uncle, Azad Singh, was the North Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor and a BJP candidate in the 2013 assembly elections.
Born in 1977, Verma attended Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, followed by an MBA from the Fore School of Management. He entered politics in 2013, winning the Delhi Legislative Assembly seat for Mehrauli, later securing the West Delhi parliamentary seat in 2014 and achieving a significant re-election margin in 2019.
