New Delhi: Out of power for almost three decades in Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday unseated the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government after over 10 years. The BJP was led from the front by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. After its below-par performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the saffron party was reduced to 240 seats, BJP is now on an upward curve, with win in Delhi coming on the back of wins in Haryana and Maharashtra.
The Delhi victory will be even sweeter for the BJP—it is a strong comeback in a state where it had been relegated to the opposition for years. For AAP, this is a humiliating defeat—not only did the party fail to secure a fourth consecutive term, after its landslide win in the last two elections, its entire leadership is facing cases related to corruption. For Congress, it is yet another defeat in a long string of electoral setbacks, proving yet again that its gains in the 2024 general elections were more of an exception than a trend.
Winners:
1. Narendra Modi
Once again, PM Modi has defied those who were ready to write his political obituary. He personally led BJP’s campaign, turning the fight against AAP into a battle of credibility. His branding of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party as “AAPda” (disaster) struck a chord. His ability to sway Delhi’s middle-class voters, who had previously leaned towards Kejriwal, also played a decisive role in BJP’s victory.
2. Parvesh Verma
In a thrilling contest for the New Delhi assembly seat, BJP leader Parvesh Verma triumphed over former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with a margin of 4,089 votes. The son of former CM Sahib Singh Verma, Parvesh was given the responsibility of challenging Kejriwal, who had held the seat for the last three terms. It is important to mention Verma was not given a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Back in 2013, Kejriwal had secured a similar victory by ousting then-CM and Congress stalwart Sheila Dixit. With his win over the three-time CM, Parvesh is now considered a formidable contender for the state’s top position.
Losers:
1. Arvind Kejriwal
It seems that Kejriwal’s time as a crusader against corruption and corrupt leaders is up, as he and his party leaders have been behind bars due to corruption allegations related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case. Even his last-ditch effort to accuse Haryana of trying to kill Delhiites with poison-laced Yamuna water didn’t find any takers. An FIR has already been filed against him in Haryana, and he is also facing investigations by the CBI and ED.
2. Manish Sisodia
The former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi and AAP’s second-in-command, Manish Sisodia, was defeated by BJP candidate Tarvinder Singh Marwah in the Jangpura constituency. A three-time MLA from Patparganj in East Delhi, Sisodia opted to contest from Jangpura in this election. After being arrested in 2023 on charges of corruption related to the liquor policy case, he spent around 18 months in prison before being granted bail. Like Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia chose not to accept any governmental role before the “people’s verdict.” However, this time, Delhi voters gave him another opportunity.
