Ending its 27-year exile from power in the national Capital and handing the ruling AAP a stunning defeat, the BJP swept the Delhi Assembly elections Saturday, bagging 48 of the 70 seats in the House.
The remaining 22 seats went to AAP while the Congress drew a blank for the third time in a row. AAP leader and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were among the prominent leaders who lost. Of the AAP tally of 22 – down from 67 and 62 seats in 2015 and 2020 – most came from the reserved constituencies (8 out of 12) and Muslim-majority seats (6 out of 7).
Thanking the people of Delhi for reposing faith in the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a gathering at the party headquarters hours after the verdict, said, “Delhi has liberated itself from a decade of AAPda (calamity)… Delhi’s voters have shown the truth to those who, in their arrogance, believed that they owned Delhi. The verdict proves that there is no place in politics for shortcuts, lies and deceit. The people have short-circuited the politics of shortcuts… Even after getting 100% success in three Lok Sabha elections, our workers had the pain of not being able to serve Delhi fully. This desire, too, Delhi has fulfilled this time.”
Listing what he called the failures of the AAP government in improving the delivery of basic services, Modi said, “Wherever NDA has got the mandate, we have brought new heights of development to that state. People are choosing our governments two-three times… Broken roads, garbage dumps and polluted air – these are the problems that people of Delhi have faced. We will build Delhi as a modern city. For the first time ever, the BJP will have a government in every state within NCR.”
Promising that the pending CAG reports will be tabled and action will be taken against the corrupt, Modi said, “A party that was formed to ‘rid’ the country of corruption became completely corrupt. They deceived the people of Delhi. When the world was grappling with Covid, these people were building a Sheesh Mahal. I guarantee that the CAG report on Delhi will be placed. Each charge of corruption will be probed and those who have looted will have to return the loot. This is Modi’s guarantee.”
Earlier in the day, accepting defeat, Kejriwal in a video address, said, “We humbly accept whatever decision the people have made. The people’s verdict is paramount. I wholeheartedly congratulate the BJP on this victory. I hope they fulfill all the expectations and aspirations with which people have given them this mandate.”
“Over the past 10 years, we have made sincere efforts to improve the lives of Delhi residents. We have undertaken initiatives in the fields of education, healthcare, water supply, electricity, and various other areas to provide relief to the people. We also worked to improve Delhi’s infrastructure. Now that the people have given their verdict, we will not only play the role of a constructive Opposition but also continue serving society… We did not enter politics for power… We will continue this work,” he said.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, said, “We humbly accept the mandate of Delhi. Heartfelt thanks to all the Congress workers of the state for their dedication and all the voters for their support. This fight for the progress of Delhi and the rights of Delhiites – against pollution, inflation and corruption – will continue.”
The BJP vote share went up from 38.5% in 2020 to 45.6% this time, gaining 40 seats in the process. The AAP, meanwhile, went down to 43.5% from 53.5% in 2020. The Congress vote share went up by nearly two percentage points.
The “double engine government” was one of BJP’s primary campaign pitches which, it promised, would work better in Delhi than in any other part of the country, with land, law and order, police and services under the Centre through the Lt Governor.
Over its decade-long tenure in the Delhi government, the AAP has been locked in a constant battle with the office of the Lt Governor. This intensified under the tenure of the present Lt Governor V K Saxena with enquiries being ordered into the Delhi excise policy scheme, the reconstruction of the official residence of Kejriwal when he was Chief Minister. (IE)
