Delhi High Court rejects Somnath Bharti's plea against election of BJP MLA Satish Upadhyay from Malviya Nagar

The Delhi High Court on Saturday rejected a plea filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti challenging Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Satish Upadhyay's election from Delhi's Malviya Nagar constituency in the 2025 assembly polls.

Justice Jasmeet Singh dismissed the election petition filed by Bharti.

"The petition is dismissed," the Court said.

A detailed judgment is awaited.

Upadhyay defeated Bharti, a three-time MLA from Malviya Nagar, by a margin of around 2,100 votes, ending Bharti’s uninterrupted hold over the seat since 2013.

Following the loss, Bharti filed an election petition alleging corrupt practices under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

In his petition, Bharti claimed that Upadhyay failed to disclose information relating to a pending criminal complaint or FIR, which, he argued, was mandatory under election law. Bharti contended that the alleged non-disclosure materially affected the election outcome and rendered Upadhyay’s nomination invalid.

Upadhyay challenged the assertions, stating that the allegations were false.

Somnath Bharti appeared in person with advocate Anand Prakash Gautam.

Senior Advocates Rajiv Nayar, Jayant Mehta and Gautam Narayan with advocates Saurabh Seth, Sumer Dev Seth, Neelampreet Kaur, Abhiroop Rathore and Kabir Dev appeared for Satish Upadhyay.