The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Dr Sc Vats from Shakur Basti assembly seat against Delhi Power and Health minister Satynder Jain. The BJP central leadership, according to well-placed sources, went absolutely by the independent surveys conducted by the party overlooking the claims of the state-level heavyweights.

Vats, a two term MLA from Shakur Basti on Congress ticket, was brought into the party during the 2015 Assembly polls by late Arun Jaitley and he had managed to hold onto his own in the last election giving a run for the money to AAP leader and Minister Satyender Jain, to whom he lost with a very close margin.

 There were allegations at that time that Vats, a three-time Congress MLA, faced sabotage by a section of BJP leaders especially the faction led by former MLA Shyamlal Garg. An important party functionary, Vats had to face the wrath of the Congress leadership as he had crusaded against alleged corruption in the power privatisation process initiated by the Sheila Dikshit Government. As the head of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Delhi Assembly, Vats had piloted a scathing report on the lacunae in the privatisation process, much to the embarrassment of the Government especially then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

According to sources, BJP central leadership survey had revealed that Vats, a former medical practitioner and a reputed educationist, is remembered in the area for the development of infrastructure during his three terms as MLA from building, hospitals, colleges to flyovers to district community centres.