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After suffering a rout at the hands of the BJP and even losing his own constituency of New Delhi, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal has said that he humbly accepts the verdict of the people and insisted that his party is not in politics for power. The former chief minister also said that the AAP will play the role of a constructive opposition and continue to serve the people.
Speaking in Hindi hours after it became clear that the BJP is winning at least 45 of Delhi's 70 seats while his party has managed only about 20 - down from 67 in 2015 and 62 in 2020 - Mr Kejriwal said, "The results of the Delhi elections have been declared today and we accept the people's verdict. The people's decision is paramount. I congratulate the BJP on its victory and I hope that it lives up to the hopes and expectations of the people who have given them a majority."
Asserting that his party has done a lot of work for the people in the sectors of education, health, water and electricity in the past 10 years, the AAP chief continued, "We also tried to improve the infrastructure in Delhi. Now, we will not only play the role of a constructive opposition but also continue to work in the social sector and help people. We will always be there for people because we did not enter politics for power but because we see it as a means of helping people. I congratulate AAP workers for fighting the elections well and working hard. They have suffered a lot."
Mr Kejriwal, 56, a former Indian Revenue Officer and one of the faces of the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, had stunned observers when he defeated three-time Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit from the New Delhi constituency in 2013. The giant slayer found himself at the other end this time, however, when he was handed a defeat by the BJP's Parvesh Verma by a margin of over 4,000 votes.
Adding to the ignominy for the AAP were the defeats of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia from the Jangpura constituency and Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj from Greater Kailash. The only respite among the party's top leadership was the victory of Atishi - who took over as chief minister from Mr Kejriwal last year - from Kalkaji against two-time MP Ramesh Bidhuri.
For the BJP, the victory in Delhi will be a famous one because it is returning to power in the capital after 27 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who led the campaign for the party, said the BJP's win was a victory for development and good governance.
"I bow to my dear sisters and brothers of Delhi for this resounding and historic mandate to @BJP4India. We are humbled and honoured to receive these blessings," the Prime Minister wrote on X.
Jana Shakti is paramount!
Development wins, good governance triumphs.
I bow to my dear sisters and brothers of Delhi for this resounding and historic mandate to @BJP4India. We are humbled and honoured to receive these blessings.
It is our guarantee that we will leave no…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 8, 2025
"It is our guarantee that we will leave no stone unturned in developing Delhi, improving the overall quality of life for the people and ensuring that Delhi has a prime role to play in building a Viksit Bharat (developed India)," he added.