On Valentine Week, Delhi Ditches APP To Embrace BJP

New Delhi, Feb 8: After a 27-year exile, the BJP is set to storm back to power in Delhi, ‘sweeping’ out the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after a decade-long reign and unseating top leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.

With vote counting in the final stages, the BJP has already won 36 seats and is leading in 12 of the 70 seats up for grabs—a stunning turnaround from its single-digit tally in the 2020 Assembly elections.
In a major upset, the BJP emerged victorious in several key AAP strongholds, including a significant defeat for party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, who lost to Parvesh Verma in New Delhi. Kejriwal, who had held the seat since 2013, was defeated by 4,089 votes after trailing for most of the counting process.

Manish Sisodia, Kejriwal’s former deputy, was also defeated by Tarvinder Singh Marwah in Jangpura. After nine rounds of counting, Sisodia conceded defeat, trailing by 572 votes. In his concession speech, he stated, “We fell short by 600 votes. I hope the BJP will focus on the progress and welfare of the people.”

Atishi, who took over as Chief Minister following Kejriwal’s arrest, managed to win against BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri in Kalkaji. However, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, who had initially led in Greater Kailash, lost to BJP candidate Shikha Roy by 3,188 votes.

In Patparganj, AAP’s candidate Avadh Ojha, who replaced Manish Sisodia, conceded defeat after trailing BJP’s Ravinder Singh Negi by over 21,000 votes after four hours of counting. “This is my personal defeat. I couldn’t connect with the people… I will meet the people and contest the next election from here,” Ojha told news agency ANI.

As the BJP looked poised for a landslide victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attributed the win to the people’s power, emphasizing that the victory would ensure development and good governance in Delhi. “We will leave no stone unturned to ensure the all-round development of Delhi and make life better for its people,” he declared.

With AAP’s defeat now all but certain, Kejriwal released a video message accepting the people’s verdict, stating that the party would focus on being a “constructive opposition.” “We are not in politics for power; instead, we consider it as a medium to serve the people,” he added.

The Delhi Assembly elections, held on February 5, saw a voter turnout of 60.54%, a decline of around 2.5 percentage points from 2020. Mustafabad recorded the highest turnout at 69.01%, while Mehrauli had the lowest at 53.02%.

Voters in Delhi weighed practical concerns like water, drainage, and garbage management against the BJP’s high-voltage campaign. The BJP’s relentless focus on Kejriwal’s alleged lavish bungalow renovation—dubbed the “sheesh mahal”—and corruption allegations significantly impacted the AAP’s image, which had initially come to power with an anti-corruption platform.

Amid Kejriwal and Sisodia’s arrests in the excise policy case, AAP sought to defend itself by blaming governance interference from Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. However, this defense failed to resonate with the electorate.

With its defeat in Delhi—its stronghold for the past decade—AAP faces a serious crisis, which could severely hamper its national ambitions. Punjab now stands as its last remaining stronghold.