Former two-time BJP MP Parvesh Verma, whom the party refrained from running for Lok Sabha last year, defeated Arvind Kejriwal in his attempt to get re-elected from the New Delhi seat. The results will also rekindle discussions about the rift between the two parties, who are both part of the faltering INDIA bloc, and whether an alliance might have allowed the AAP leader to keep his seat if not his government. Mr. Kejriwal finished about 1,200 votes behind his opponent, with Congressman Sandeep Dikshit coming in third.
In the meantime, Mr. Verma, who is regarded as a “giant-slayer” and could become the next chief minister, like his father Sahib Singh Verma, is anticipated to meet with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Speaking to reporters following his victory, he expressed gratitude to the voters of the New Delhi constituency and mentioned a “double engine” government in the city, alluding to the BJP’s control of both Delhi and the center.
Since 2013, when he defeated Congress veteran and then-chief minister Sheila Dikshit to usher in the AAP’s ten-year reign in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal has been the incumbent in the New Delhi seat. The extent of the AAP leader’s party’s thumping in this election was highlighted by the announcement of his defeat, which came minutes after his erstwhile deputy, Manish Sisodia, gave up his bid in Janpgura.
Kejriwal and the AAP, who are bidding for a third consecutive term, are instead expected to lose badly; by 1pm, the BJP held a 48-seat lead in Delhi’s 70 Assembly seats, while the AAP was in 22. Rather, Mr. Kejriwal’s loss is viewed as the “end” of the AAP, especially since two of its three most prominent leaders—Mr. Kejriwal and Mr. Sisodia—are accused of corruption in the liquor policy scandal.
However, there was some good news: Chief Minister Atishi defeated Ramesh Bidhuri of the BJP. However, a 2023 video in which the former Chief Minister said, “you (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) will have to take another birth to defeat us in Delhi,” began to circulate online after Mr. Kejriwal’s loss. “I want to tell Narendra Modiji that you cannot defeat us in this life,” he stated.
Prior to this election, Mr. Kejriwal was dealing with a crisis of public perception brought on by his suspected involvement in the liquor excise policy scheme and by the BJP’s (and the Congress’s, an ostensible ally’s) constant attacks on him on a number of topics, ranging from the Yamuna water dispute to Delhi’s deteriorating infrastructure. Political analysts told that the AAP’s big loss could also be pegged on the switch in women and middle-class voters from Mr Kejriwal’s side to the BJP.
Early in the election campaign, the AAP and BJP acknowledged women as a possible crucial voting base and included special provisions for them in their manifestos. Following that high-profile announcement in the Union Budget 2025, where Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman raised the personal income tax rebate ceiling from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 12 lakh, middle-class voters jumped.
