Bhojpuri star Manoj Tiwari, NDA candidate from Northeast Delhi constituency, is currently ahead with 71,093 votes, while rival candidate Kanhaiya Kumar from the INDIA bloc is in second place with 23,248 votes.
Kanhaiya rose through the ranks of student politics at JNU, whereas Manoj, known for his contributions to the Bhojpuri entertainment industry, entered politics in 2009 as an SP candidate against Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur constituency but did not win.
Manoj Tiwari showed support for Ramdev's hunger strike at Ramlila ground and protested against Anna Hazare's arrest during the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement. He has secured victories in both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.