Sandeep Srivastava, an Independent candidate from the New Delhi assembly constituency is contesting against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the second consecutive time in the upcoming Delhi Assembly election. In 2015 Delhi polls, Srivastava had managed to secure only 34 votes. Speaking with The Indian Express, Srivastava said he is proud of those 34 strangers who voted for him the last time.
Srivastava revealed that he was inspired by American political scientist Francis Fukuyama’s book, ‘The End of History and the Last Man.’ The 53-year old educationist says he would not want to be the last man who is only on the lookout for comfort and no compassion.
Srivastava has completed his education from IIT-Delhi with an M.Tech. in computer science. Later, he also pursued an MBA from INSEAD in France. He has written four books on e-governance and authored more than 400 school books. One of Srivastava’s books is also co-authored by Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi.
Srivastava says his aim for the constituency is to break free from freebies and communal polarization. Hitting out at Kejriwal, Srivastava said the government has done nothing with the education. In his words, the government has created ‘teaching spaces without improving learning.’
A total of 28 candidates are in the fray from New Delhi Assembly constituency including 12 independents who are from various fields such as a farmer, social worker, academic, lawyers, PhD scholar, etc. Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal is one of the key candidates contesting from the seat. Against him, the Congress has fielded Romesh Sabharwal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has given ticket to Sunil Yadav.
The national capital is going to polls on February 08, 2020, and the counting of ballots will take place on February 11, 2020.