LIVE | BJP sweeps Delhi elections; people have short-circuited short-cut politics: Modi
The saffron party won 48 seats, while the AAP could muster only 22 of the 70 Assembly seats
The BJP on Saturday (February 8) secured a resounding victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, returning to power after 27 years, and ending the Aam Aadmi Party’s decade-long reign in the national capital.
While the BJP won 48 of the 70 Assembly seats, the AAP could secure wins in just 22 constituencies. The Congress on the other hand was left red-faced, unable to open its account in Delhi for the third time in a row.
AAP's vote share dwindles, Congress' rises by 2%
In the 2019 Assembly polls, the AAP had bagged 62 seats while the BJP had won only eight.
The polls saw the BJP’s vote share rise by 7 per cent and the AAP’s fall by 10 per cent. The Congress despite drawing a blank improved its vote share by 2.1 per cent hike by polling 6.34 per cent of the valid votes as against 4.3 per cent in 2020.
What came as a major embarrassment for the AAP was the defeat of its top guns including party chief Arvind Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. Chief Minister Atishi and three ministers in the outgoing AAP government – Gopal Rai, Mukesh Ahlawat and Imran Hussain – however managed to secure wins, offering a rare consolation for the party.
Modi’s 'AAP-da', 'short-circuit' dig
Hailing the BJP's victory as "historic", Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a stinging attack on the AAP and the Congress, saying the country needs a serious political transformation and not politics of "dhoort-ta (deceit) and moorkhta (foolishness)".
He said the people of Delhi have "short-circuited the politics of short cuts" and asserted that the mandate has made it clear that there's no space for corruption and lies in politics.
Addressing party workers and supporters at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, Modi said these 'AAP-da' people came into politics saying that they will change politics but they emerged as "kattar baimaan (most dishonest)".
The prime minister said the people of Delhi have shown the door to 'AAP-da' and now a double-engine government will ensure development at a double speed.
‘Double-speed development for Delhi’
He said Delhiites are celebrating BJP's victory and respite from 'AAP-da', a term he used throughout the campaign to criticise the Aam Aadmi Party's rule.
"People of Delhi today have enthusiasm and satisfaction. There is relief of liberating Delhi from 'AAP-da'. I thank all Delhiites for entrusting their faith in 'Modi ki guarantee'," the prime minister said in his address from BJP headquarters.
"Now Delhi's double-engine government will ensure development at double speed. It is a historic win and not a usual victory as the people of Delhi have shown the door to 'AAP-da'. Delhi has become Aapda-mukt," Modi said.
‘Gold medal in defeat’: PM's swipe at Cong
Training his guns on the Congress, Modi said people have again given a big message to the opposition party and it has secured a "double hat-trick" in the national capital by failing to open account in six elections.
"These people are giving themselves the gold medal in defeat. The truth is that the country is not willing to trust the Congress. I had said the last time that the Congress has become a parasitic party. It drowns and takes down its allies with it," he said.
Modi claimed that the Congress is finishing off its allies one by one and its manner is also very interesting as it steals the issues and language of its coalition partners to dent their vote bank.
Read our election stories here
Delhi elections: BJP upbeat about win; AAP, Cong reject exit polls, flay EC ‘AAP-da’: Day before Delhi voting, Modi targets Kejriwal in Parliament
Decoding Delhi election: Who has edge in high-stakes battle?
Congress promises to bring back glory of Sheila Dikshit's rule in Delhi
Follow this space for more live updates
Live Updates
- 8 Feb 2025 9:06 AM GMT
Arvind Kejriwal after AAP's defeat: We accept the decision of the people
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in a video message in Hindi on X, "Namaskar, today the results of the Delhi elections have come and we accept the decision of the people with complete humility. I congratulate the Bharatiya Janata Party for this victory. And I hope that they will fulfil all the hope that the people have given them."
"In the last 10 years, we have done a lot of work in the field of education, health, water, electricity, we have tried to provide comfort to people in their lives in different ways and we have also tried to improve Delhi's infrastructure."
"Now, the from the mandate that the people have given us, we will not only play the role of a constructive opposition, but we will always take part in the happiness and sorrows of the people, in the personal needs of the people, because we have not come into politics for power."
"We believe that politics is a means by which we can serve the people, by which we can be a part of the happiness and sorrows of the people. We will continue to do that work and we will continue to be a part of the happiness and sorrows of the people."
"I would like to congratulate all the workers of AAP. They fought a great election. They worked very hard. They endured a lot during this election. For this, I would like to congratulate all the workers. Namaskar."
- 8 Feb 2025 9:02 AM GMT
Congress-AAP alliance would have crushed BJP in Delhi, says Sena's Raut
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has said a Congress-AAP alliance would have crushed the BJP in Delhi assembly polls.
Reiterating his allegations of irregularities in the voters list in Maharashtra which saw the Mahayuti combine winning big last November, Raut alleged a "Maharashtra pattern" was implemented in Delhi polls. "It would have been better had the ties between the AAP and the Congress been good. Both parties fought against the BJP separately. Had they contested jointly, the BJP's defeat would have been certain. We should take lessons from this," Raut said.
