Did Arvind Kejriwal Write Own Obituary in Delhi Elections?
Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Image credit X.com
AAP Loses Power in Delhi Amid Internal Disarray
By Amit Kumar
New Delhi, February 8: A massive 12 per cent swing away from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) powered the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Delhi Assembly elections. Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also lost Assembly elections from the New Delhi seat.
“The Delhi mandate isn’t a pro-BJP wave. It’s a resounding rejection of AAP. Kejriwal lost 12 per cent of the popular vote, with nearly 10 per cent shifting to the BJP,” wrote senior political analyst Anurag Punetha in a post on X.
The AAP fortune in Delhi came crashing down on Saturday. The Kejriwal-led outfit could win just 22 Assembly seats.
“A swing of this magnitude isn’t just a statistic; it’s a political obituary. Beyond the numbers, the message is unmistakable: Revolutions don’t collapse under external attacks—they decay from within,” added Punetha.
The AAP vote share slumped from the high of 53.5 per cent in the 2020 Assembly elections to just 43.57 per cent. The BJP vote share jumped from 38.50 per cent in 2020 Assembly elections to 45.56 per cent.
The BJP tally in the Assembly jumped from eight seats five years ago to 48 now. Delhi Assembly has a total of 70 Assembly seats.
“This isn’t a victory march for the BJP; it’s an eviction notice for AAP. The voters didn’t embrace the BJP; they simply walked away from AAP,” stated Punetha.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also lost the Assembly elections from the Jangpura constituency. He had shifted from the Patparganj Assembly seat.
BJP Rides Arvind Kejriwal’s Friends Turned Foes in Delhi Elections
“What we witnessed wasn’t a surge, but a retreat. The BJP rise is not that great; AAP fell. And sometimes, the ballot isn’t cast in favour of someone — it’s hurled in rejection of another,” noted Punetha.
Just before the elections, Kejriwal tried to gain sympathy votes by leaving the Chief Minister’s chair. But all his moves failed to impress the voters.
Many of the senior AAP leaders, including Kailash Gehlot, quit the party. Kejriwal embraced turncoats in a large number in the elections.
Promising an alternative politics, political analysts slammed Kejriwal of indulging in petty politics. He even proudly spoke of giving “revdis (freebies)” while announcing the poll manifesto.
Besides, Kejriwal after leading a campaign against corruption saw himself and his associates mired in corruption charges. He also refused to constitute anti-corruption watchdog in the city.
Kejriwal refused to resign when he was sent to the Tihar Jail. He resigned only when the Supreme Court set stiff conditions for his bail.
The AAP national convenor went to the people, saying that he will become the Chief Minister only when he gets the positive referendum on his honesty.
Kejriwal made many enemies within the AAP. His close associate Bibhav Kumar was accused of an assault on the Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, Yet, he didn’t take any action.
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