 On 26 September 2008 the BJP announced that Malhotra would be party's chief ministerial candidate in the election to Delhi Assembly in 2008.While Malhotra easily won his Greater Kailash constituency, the BJP failed to the dislodge the Sheila Dikshit government.Only days after election results were revealed, Malhotra was in attendance in the Lok Sabha, fuelling speculation that he intends to continue in Parliament, instead of serving in the Delhi Legislative Assembly.