New Delhi [India]: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a major setback in the Delhi Assembly elections, with Saurabh Bhardwaj losing the Greater Kailash constituency and Arvind Kejriwal being defeated in New Delhi.
In Greater Kailash, BJP candidate Shikha Roy emerged victorious, defeating three-time AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj by a margin of 3,188 votes, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI). Roy secured 49,594 votes, while Bhardwaj managed 46,406 votes. Congress candidate Garvit Singhvi finished a distant third with 6,711 votes.
Despite the loss, Bhardwaj remained optimistic and urged AAP supporters not to be disheartened.
“I want to thank all the supporters, volunteers, and donors of AAP and tell them not to be afraid, not to be disappointed. We win big battles by losing these small battles, so there is nothing to be afraid of. We will come forward again. I think as an MLA, we did whatever we could for our people,” he said.
Bhardwaj suggested that AAP’s internal assessment showed a strong position in the constituency, and the results would be analyzed.
“We will analyze the result, why this result came, because all the reporters who came to my area, all the common people who came to campaign, everyone had seen that our graph was very high. The approval rating was very high. Even the staunch supporters of BJP used to say that we will win the elections this time, but it is not appropriate to comment at this time,” he added.
Kejriwal Defeated in New Delhi Constituency
Meanwhile, AAP’s national convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lost the New Delhi assembly seat to BJP’s Parvesh Verma by 4,089 votes, according to ECI data.
Kejriwal had held the New Delhi seat for over a decade, first winning against former CM Sheila Dikshit in 2013. However, this time, Verma secured 30,088 votes, while Kejriwal managed 25,999 votes. Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit trailed far behind, receiving only 4,568 votes.
BJP’s Dominance in Delhi Elections
Reacting to the results, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said the people of Delhi had rejected 10 years of AAP’s governance, instead placing their trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The people of Delhi have voted against 10 years of misgovernance by AAP. They have put their faith in PM Modi,” she said.
According to the latest update from the Election Commission, BJP has won 41 seats and is leading in seven more, taking its total to 48 seats. AAP has won 20 seats and is leading on two, while Congress has failed to win a single seat in Delhi for the third consecutive time.
Polling for the 70-member Delhi Assembly was held on February 5, with a voter turnout of 60.54%.