NEW DELHI: The Delhi poll results yet again proved that regional players having a strong leadership can give a run for money to the national parties in Assembly elections. For the BJP, which raked up issues of nationalism and targeted Shaheen Bagh protesters, Delhi is the sixth consecutive state where it was stopped from forming a government.
Congress could not even open its account in Delhi while it emerged as a junior player in Jharkhand where it formed government in alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
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The result clearly indicates that national issues like the Ayodhya verdict, abrogation of Article 370 in J&K and the CAA seemingly did not help the BJP to win votes.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said leaders playing on faith through hate speech and divisive politics should take a cue, as only those who deliver on their promises are rewarded. Bengal is expected to see a tough fight between the BJP and the TMC in 2021. Regional parties managed to win two Assembly elections — Biju Janata Dal in Odisha and Telangana Rashtra Samiti Telangana — held with the Lok Sabha polls.
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In Maharashtra, the BJP fell short of the majority mark and its oldest ally Shiv Sena decided to part over differences on allocation of CM’s post. In Haryana, the BJP had to rely on the Jananyak Janta Party to form the government. Worse, it lost three key Hindi heartland states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh — to the opposition Congress.
Show of unity
Heads of many regional parties were quick to congratulate AAP and emphasised that development wins over communal politics