The BJP is heading for a historic win in Delhi, ending AAP's winning streak in the national capital. The biggest shocker for AAP came after BJP's Parvesh Verma defeated Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi.
The saffron party is all set to win 48 seats, while AAP will have to settle with just 22 seats, a massive drop from its previous tally of 62 seats. Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia lost from Jangpura, while Saurabh Bharadwaj lost from Greater Kailash, and Satyendar Kumar Jain from Shakur Basti. BJP's Kapil Mishra is leading from Karawal Nagar. Manjinder Singh Sirsa is also leading from Rajouri Nagar.
The BJP has staged a comeback after more than 26 years. The Congress, which has failed to win a single seat in the last two elections, hoped to regain some ground. While Congress increased its vote share to over 6 per cent, it could not convert it into any seats.
In 2015, AAP swept the assembly polls with 67 out of 70 seats, leaving the BJP and Congress in the dust. It followed up with another commanding performance in 2020, winning 62 seats. The BJP, however, was determined to end this streak and reclaim its hold over Delhi.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the election results as the beginning of a new era of development in the national capital and an end to the reign of lies, deceit, and corruption. The double-engine government will take the pace of development in Delhi to a new high, he said in a post on X.
In a series of posts on X, Shah -- who is credited for shaping the details of the party's poll strategy -- said Delhi would become an ideal capital under Modi's leadership. The BJP is determined to fulfil all its promises and make Delhi the number one capital of the world, he said.
Residents of Delhi have shown that repeated false promises cannot mislead people, Shah said, asserting that they answered through their votes to the problems of a polluted Yamuna, dirty drinking water, broken roads, overflowing sewers, and liquor shops in every street.
Atishi called the Delhi results a "setback" but vowed to continue the party's struggle against the BJP. "First of all, I thank the people of Delhi and our party workers who stood strong. We accept the mandate. The war against BJP's dictatorship and hooliganism will continue. This is a setback but AAP's fight for the people of Delhi and the country will go on," Atishi said.
"I thank the people who trusted me. I also thank my team, which faced all challenges and took our message to the public. I have won my seat but this is not a time for celebration -- this is the time to fight. The battle against BJP's authoritarianism will continue."