What Played Right For BJP In Delhi (X image @BJP4India)
New Delhi, India: BJP had a thumping comeback in the Delhi after 27 years of exile. Extending its saffron footprint, BJP eradicated Aam Aadmi Party from its bastions. AAP supremo and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and former deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia faced crushing defeat.
Sisodia lost his footing in Jangpura assembly constitute to Tarvinder Singh Marwah of BJP, with the margin of 675 votes. Kejriwal lost to BJP’s Parvesh Sahib Singh, over the margin of 4,089 votes from New Delhi. Congress faced crushing defeat in the national capital. Like previous two assembly election, the party could not open account in any of the 70 constituencies.
Other prominent AAP leaders, including Saurabh Bharadwaj, also lost their seats. Bharadwaj was defeated by BJP’s Shikha Rai in the Greater Kailash constituency by 3,139 votes. Avadh Ojha, a popular IAS exam tutor and AAP candidate, trailed behind in Patparganj. AAP’s Somnath Bharti, a candidate from Malviya Nagar, also lost.
Also Read: AAP’s Delhi Debacle: What Happened To Top Ministers In The Delhi Assembly Elections?
At the same time, the outgoing Chief Minister Atishi defeats BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri in Kalkaji, with the margin of 3,521 votes.
The sweeping victory in the national capital might clear the shadow casted by the loss of majority in Lok Sabha election, last year. With Delhi win, BJP has solved its long standing major obstacle. Kejriwal has been a great challenge for the BJP. Not having capital under its palm, Delhi has been a sore eye for the Saffron army.
What might have played it right for the BJP to have this mammoth victory?
Kejriwal, and Manish Sisodia’s imprisonment over the excise policy case hit hard enough to crumble the AAP bastion in Delhi. The BJP also exerted enough pressure on the ‘sheesh mahal’ an oft recalled buzzword pointing the lavish Chief Minister’s residence following the renovations by Kejriwal.
Also Read: Arvind Kejriwal: When Aam Aadmi No.1 Dethroned
Kejriwal has been in the red list of BJP for a while. While the “muffler man” started off hand in hand with RSS, later dissented. Having defeated the BJP in the state election for two times, since Prime Minister Modi came to power, BJP, under PM Modi, was determined to pocket the capital state.
BJP’s aggressive targeting of AAP, and investing in the age-old RSS machinery – local grass-root level influence, and meeting – paid off. Challenging AAP’s welfare model, which took the party far enough to stand tall for a decade, also played major role.
Locking the AAP supremo, with the liquor policy scandal, and the imprisonment, also aided in strengthening BJP’s standing. The whole scandal tarnished Kejriwal’s image as an anti-corruption crusader. Internal drifts, and dissents among the high-profilers within the party, like the deflection of Kailash Gehlot, also scored for BJP.
