NEW DELHI: Ahead of the crucial Delhi municipal elections, the ruling Aam Aadmi party suffered a crushing defeat in the Rajouri Garden (Delhi) bypolls, with its candidate forfeiting deposit. The BJP, which won the seat polling 40,602 votes, got a major boost going into the civic elections scheduled to be held later this month. The result has also come as a major relief for the Congress in Delhi, as it retained the second position with 25,590 votes. The loss, pundits say, could also mean an end to ‘alternative politics’ in the Capital.
“Arvind Kejriwal should now understand that it is not EVM but people who give verdict in a democracy,” said Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, taking a dig at the AAP leader’s allegations of tampering. The Delhi bypoll verdict has come as yet another setback for the AAP, already reeling under the defeat in Punjab and Goa Assembly polls earlier this year.
Results of bypolls in 10 Assembly constituencies across states were announced on Thursday. While the Centre-ruling BJP managed to win five seats, the Congress finished in the runner-up position, winning three seats.
While the BJP has reason to worry in Karnataka where the Congress won both Assembly seats (Nanjangud and Gundlupet), it was enthused by the returns in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Assam. The Kanthi Dakshin Assembly seat in East Midnapur in West Bengal also gave a major boost to the BJP, as it not only came second to the Trinamool Congress but also increased its vote share from 8 per cent in 2016 to 31 per cent.
“Delhi was sought to be turned into a laboratory of agitationist politics. In the last few years, the proponents of such politics turned Delhi into anarchy and the people of Delhi have completely rejected them,” BJP leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said.
The BJP’s victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal will give much comfort to the saffron outfit ahead of Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh later this year, and in MP and Rajasthan next year. But its failure to win the Karnataka bypolls came as a disappointment to the party leadership.
“The Karnataka Assembly elections are slated for early next year. We have time to arrive at the right strategy for the State,” said a senior BJP functionary. Apart from Karnataka, the Congress also managed to win the Ater seat in Madhya Pradesh.