Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has regained power in Delhi after 27 years.
In the 70-seat assembly in Delhi, the BJP got 48 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) went from winning 63 seats in the 2020 election to just 22 seats.
AAP reaction to New Delhi election result
In a video message on X, the AAP’s former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said he and his party “humbly accepted” the verdict of the people and congratulated the BJP on its win.
“I hope they live up to the expectations of the people who voted for them,” he said.
For Modi, gaining Delhi symbolises a vital footing in the national capital following years of absence from power there, not only a symbol of electoral achievement.
Although Congress, the primary national opposition party, was also running, it did not land one seat.
From 1998 to 2013, the party controlled Delhi but it was removed due claims of corruption, which saw voters migrate to AAP instead. It has not made any impression after then.
The loss is a major setback to the AAP, a much smaller party hailed in its early years of existence for emphasising city-wide improvement of health and educational infrastructure.
