Meet Meghnad S, Malviya Nagar candidate who received less votes than Nota in Delhi

Nota (None of the Above) received 532 votes in this constituency.

But this independent candidate ended up with just 192 votes.

The Delhi Elections were not only a major setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but also for this candidate.

Catch the live updates from the Delhi Assembly elections here.

In the Malviya Nagar constituency, Meghnad S ran as an independent candidate in the 2025 Delhi Assembly Elections. The outcome was humiliating.

He managed to get only 192 votes, far lower than Nota, which got 532 votes.

Who is Meghnad S? And, why did he contest the election independently?

Let’s find out:

Who is Meghnad S?

Meghnad S is a popular YouTuber and journalist who ventured into politics by contesting the Malviya Nagar seat as an independent candidate.

He is known for putting out content on his YouTube channel, ‘Meghnerd’.

In the election, he faced AAP’s Somnath Bharti, a three-time MLA, and BJP’s Satish Upadhyay, who won the seat.

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A digital media journalist and public policy professional, Meghnad was assigned the pen as his election symbol by the Election Commission of India.

He called himself ‘India’s first YouTuber Neta’ and even released a campaign song on his YouTube channel.

Titled ‘Dilli Ka Normie Neta’, the song describes issues like Delhi’s drains, air, and water quality.

Speaking on the difficulties of running as an independent, Meghnad told The Times of India, “I take pride in being an independent candidate. My entire idea of contesting is to prove a point here, to make people understand that hyper-local leaders can best address issues of the people. I have no party bosses dictating me - my only boss is YOU, the people of Malviya Nagar."

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He has over 81.7K subscribers on YouTube and nearly 2 lakh followers on X.

“141 votes. 4 rounds still left. I was expecting 7 votes tbh (to be honest),” he posted on X during the counting process.

He also made a video on ‘How to Lose an Election in 10 Days’, describing it as “documenting the cheapest and scrappiest campaign in the Delhi elections 2025.”

how to LOSE an election in 10 days.

Documenting the cheapest and scrappiest campaign in the Delhi Elections 2025.

LINK: https://t.co/hG0Jv7Z1Nl pic.twitter.com/B3nRIXAa3g

— meghnad (Nerds ka Parivaar) (@Memeghnad) February 6, 2025

Notably, his campaign drew attention online, particularly with his viral election jingle and catchy slogans. The song ‘Dilli Ka Normie Neta’ quickly gained attention and received over 38,000 views within a few hours of its release.

“Not your usual politician, I don’t make tall claims, so choose the pen on an EVM,” the lyrics say, referencing his election symbol.

Claiming to be self-funded, Meghnad declared Rs 55.1 lakh in movable assets and liabilities of Rs 1 lakh in his election affidavit.

Malviya Nagar Election Result 2025: What happened in the constituency?

BJP leader Satish Upadhyay won from the Malviya Nagar seat, defeating AAP’s Somnath Bharti by a margin of 2,131 votes. Upadhyay received 39,564 votes, while Bharti got 37,433 votes. Congress candidate Jitender Kumar Kochar finished third with 6,770 votes.

Malviya Nagar, situated in South Delhi, is named after freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malaviya. It falls under the New Delhi Parliamentary constituency and is surrounded by several unauthorised colonies.

ALSO READ | The rise of Parvesh Verma, the BJP leader who snatched New Delhi from Arvind Kejriwal

In 2020, Bharti had won the seat by defeating BJP’s Shailender Singh Monti. Previously, in 2013, he had triumphed over former Delhi mayor and BJP leader Arti Mehra, as well as Congress leader Kiran Walia. In 2015, he contested against BJP’s Nandini Sharma and won comfortably.

Following his victory, Upadhyay expressed gratitude in a post on X: “My heartfelt gratitude to the God-like people for electing me as the MLA from Malviya Nagar Assembly. My heartfelt thanks to Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji, Shri @JPNadda Ji, Shri @AmitShah Ji and the top leadership of the party and the dedicated workers.”

“With your trust and blessings, I will always remain dedicated to serve Malviya Nagar Assembly,” he added.

Delhi Elections 2025: BJP returns to power

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form the next government in Delhi after 27 years, surpassing the majority mark of 36 seats in the 70-member assembly and ending the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) decade-long rule. The last BJP-led government in Delhi was in power from 1993 to 1998.

भाजपा ने न सिर्फ चुनाव जीता, बल्कि दिल्ली की जनता का दिल भी जीत लिया!

दिल्ली ने मोदी जी के विकास मार्ग को चुना!

विधायक चुनाव में विजय के साथ, मैं मालवीय नगर के चौमुखी विकास के लिए पूर्णतः समर्पित और प्रतिबद्ध हूँ। pic.twitter.com/CeQqHe3St6

— Satish Upadhyay (@upadhyaysbjp) February 8, 2025

BJP leader Parvesh Verma defeated AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi Assembly seat by a margin of over 4,000 votes. Meanwhile, Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit performed poorly, securing only 4,568 votes.

The elections saw a fierce contest between AAP, BJP, and Congress, with all three parties engaging in heated debates over issues such as the Yamuna River, Sheesh Mahal, air pollution, and freebies.

ALSO READ | Could AAP have won Delhi if it fought the polls with Congress?

Following the verdict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the victory, thanking the people of Delhi for what he called a “historic win” in the 2025 assembly election.

“Jana Shakti is paramount! Development wins, good governance triumphs,” PM Modi posted on X, adding, “I am very grateful to all of you from the bottom of my heart for the abundant blessings and love you have given.”

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal conceded defeat and expressed hope that the BJP would deliver on its promises.

“We accept the mandate of the people with great humility. I congratulate the BJP for this victory and I hope they will fulfil all the promises for which people have voted for them,” he said in a video address on X.

With inputs from agencies