New Delhi, India, February 8: In a historic turn of events, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on track to form the next government in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT-Delhi), ending a 10-year rule by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The BJP has crossed the majority mark of 36 seats in the 70-member assembly, securing a total of 40 seats, with 8 others still being contested. The BJP’s victory marks its return to power in Delhi for the first time since 1993, when it last led the government until 1998.
As of the latest trends at 4:30 PM from the Election Commission, AAP has secured 17 seats, with leads in 5 others. In a major upset, BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Singh defeated AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi Assembly seat by a margin of over 4,000 votes. Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit received only 4,568 votes, failing to make a significant impact.
On the AAP side, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi won the Kalkaji seat, defeating BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri by more than 3,500 votes. AAP’s Gopal Rai also triumphed in Babarpur, securing a victory with a substantial margin of 18,000 votes. However, BJP’s candidates continued to shine, with Kapil Mishra (Karawal Nagar) defeating AAP’s Manoj Kumar Tyagi and Shikha Roy (Greater Kailash) overcoming AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj by over 3,000 votes. Additionally, BJP’s Kulwant Rana emerged victorious from the Rithala constituency, beating AAP’s Mohinder Goyal by an impressive margin of over 29,000 votes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address BJP workers at the party headquarters later in the evening, celebrating the significant victory. BJP Delhi president Virendraa Sachdeva expressed pride in the win, attributing the success to the faith the people of Delhi have in PM Modi.
Kejriwal, acknowledging the defeat, conveyed his congratulations to the BJP and expressed hope that the new government would fulfill its promises to the people. In a video address posted on X, he stated, “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.” He also highlighted the achievements of the AAP government in the areas of health, education, and infrastructure over the past decade and assured that his party would continue to serve the people while playing a constructive opposition role.