The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faced a significant electoral setback in the Delhi Assembly elections, allowing the BJP to claim victory in the capital after 27 years. The BJP created history by securing 48 out of 70 assembly seats, while AAP was limited to just 22 seats. Meanwhile, the Congress, mirroring its performance in the previous two elections, could not open its account this time either. Prior to the election, Arvind Kejriwal took a bold step by retracting the tickets for 20 of his party's legislators, affecting high-profile constituencies such as Jangpura, as well as Palam, Chandni Chowk, and Seelampur.
Only 4 Wins Out of 20
In the constituencies where AAP replaced their sitting legislators with new candidates, only four seats were retained, while the BJP captured the remaining 16. These included key constituencies such as Kasturba Nagar, Uttam Nagar, Narela, Timarpur, Adarsh Nagar, Mundka, Madipur, Janakpuri, Bijwasan, Palam, Trilokpuri, Krishna Nagar, Shahdara, Mustafabad, Matiala, and even the prestigious seat of Jangpura previously held by Manish Sisodia, where Praveen Kumar was replaced and ultimately defeated by BJP's Tarvinder Singh Marwah.
READ: A Dream Shattered - AAP's Loss in Delhi Goes Beyond a Mere Change of Power
Among the four constituencies where AAP's new strategy saw success were Chandni Chowk, Deoli, Burari, and Seelampur. In Chandni Chowk, AAP replaced legislator Prahlad Singh Sahni with his son and councilor Puran Deep Sahni, who managed to defend their position. Similarly, in Seelampur, Abdul Rehman's ticket was withdrawn in favor of Congress's former legislator Mateen Ahmed's son, Zubair Ahmed, who emerged victorious. Both Mateen and Zubair Ahmed had switched loyalties from Congress to AAP just days before the elections.
BJP Gust Sweeps Away AAP Veterans
Several stalwart leaders and ministers of the Aam Aadmi Party were swept away in the BJP's triumph in Delhi. One of the most notable losses was that of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was defeated by BJP's Parvesh Verma by around 4,000 votes in the New Delhi seat. Other prominent names such as former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Somnath Bharti, and Rakhi Birlan also succumbed to defeat. However, Atishi managed to secure a victory against BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri at the Kalkaji seat.
READ: A Decade of AAP in Delhi: The Decisions by Kejriwal that Diminished the Luster of Brand AK
With BJP's significant win, the focus now shifts to who will be named Chief Minister. The party contested the elections without announcing a CM candidate, leading to several contenders emerging post-victory. Among the leading names is Parvesh Verma, who defeated Arvind Kejriwal. Other speculations point to senior leaders who successfully won their seats, such as Vijender Gupta, Ashish Sood, and Satish Upadhyay. However, the party has clarified that it will take about 10 days before they reveal the name of the new Chief Minister.
