The BJP might not have let the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) contest the Assembly elections in Delhi due to the NDA and the INLD tie-up in Rajasthan and Haryana, but the latter has managed to find its way into the Delhi Assembly.

Bharat Singh, who contested and won as an independent candidate from Najafgarh with a margin of more than 12,500 votes, is an INLD municipal councillor in Delhi. Singh defeated the standing MLA Ranbir Singh Kharab and former MLA Kanwar Singh Yadav.

At 31, Singh is also Delhi’s youngest MLA.

Because of the NDA and INLD tie-up, Bharat Singh did not contest the election on the INLD party symbol. Instead, he contested on his new symbol — the jug. Nonetheless, posters and stickers distributed by Singh in the area had the picture of Chaudhary Devi Lal, the father of the Indian National Lok Dal.

The party had also extended its support to Singh. Party workers from Haryana and Rajasthan had come to Delhi to campaign for him. On vote-counting day, after Singh was declared winner, supporters brandished flags with both the INLD and Singh’s symbol.

Having emerged winner, Singh will now go back to his party. “I never left the party. The party has always stood by me and gave me the support that I needed. But because of political constraints, I could not contest the election on the INLD symbol,” Singh said.

He also said that the INLD would have contested from 12 seats in Delhi but for the BJP. “I was confident of winning the elections, so I contested as an independent,” he added.