Delhi Sweeps AAP Out: BJP Back To Power After 27 Years, Ends AAP's Reign

• Image Credit: Google

• Feb 8, 2025 | Parikalpita Gogoi

Accepting the neck-to-neck defeat against Parvesh Verma, Kejriwal congratulated the BJP and urged the party to fulfill all the promises made during the election campaigns.

Digital Desk: After an unchallenged decade, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accepted its defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as results of the Delhi Assembly polls unfolded on Saturday. BJP workers have started bursting firecrackers and dancing at the party office in New Delhi as the party is leading in 47 out of the 70 seats, while AAP is ahead in 23 seats.

Former Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal's shocking defeat in the national capital shows that he fails to win people's trust despite providing free electricity of up to 200 units and free water of up to 20,000 litres to every household. He lost his high-stakes New Delhi seat to BJP's Parvesh Verma, son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma.

Delhi's former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia lost his Jangpura Assembly seat to BJP's Tarvinder Singh Marwah by a margin of just 600 votes. However, Delhi's Chief Minister Atishi won her Kalkaji seat defeating BJP leader and former Lok Sabha MP Ramesh Bidhuri by a margin of 3,500 votes.

Accepting the neck-to-neck defeat against Parvesh Verma, Kejriwal congratulated the BJP and urged the party to fulfill all the promises made during the election campaigns.

In a video address, Kejriwal said, "We accept the mandate of the people with great humility. I congratulate the BJP for this victory and I hope they will fulfill all the promises for which people have voted for them."

India's oldest political party Congress delivered another blank show failing to win a single seat for the third consecutive term and scoring a hat-trick of zeros in the national capital. Congress which declined its ties with AAP for the polls, was rejected by the people of Delhi once again despite its high-profile campaigns led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against AAP and BJP.  

Former Chief Minister late Sheila Dikshit's son Sandeep Dikshit lost the New Delhi seat against BJP's Parvesh Verma, the same seat from where Kejriwal lost by a margin of 4,089 votes to BJP. Kejriwal who defeated Sheila Dikshit in 2013 Assembly polls by a margin of 25,000 votes, made several corruption allegations against her during that election. So, for Sandeep Dikshit, this election was personal as he became successful in taking revenge against Kejriwal.

AAP's efforts to retain power were thwarted by several corruption charges against senior leaders including Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, etc. The accusations subsequently led to some of the leaders' arrests, which made it difficult for them to restore the public's faith.