NEW DELHI: BJP's voter base in Delhi since 1998 seems to have suffered no dent notwithstanding the unprecedented drubbing it received in this election even as Congress' vote share has seen a free fall.
BJP had secured 34.02 per cent vote share in the 1998 Assembly elections when Sheila Dikshit-led Congress dislodged the party from power, while it managed to retain 32.2 per cent of the votes this time.
During the Assembly elections in the intervening years, BJP 's vote share averaged 35 per cent despite failing to come to power. It got 35.22, 36.34 and 33.07 per cent share in the 2003, 2008 and 2013 Assembly elections, respectively.
For Congress, the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party has meant its downfall, from the impressive 1998 vote share of 47.76 per cent to an all time low of 9.7 per cent in this election.
In the 2013 Assembly polls, AAP registered 29.49 per cent vote share, surpassing Congress's 24.55 per cent.
For the once-mighty Congress in the capital, the Lok Sabha polls were an indication of darker days ahead as its vote share fell further to 15.1 per cent, whereas despite drawing a blank in terms of seats, AAP's vote share increased to 32.9 per cent.
With 54.3 per cent vote share, AAP also secured 67 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly in this election dealing a death blow to Congress.