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As the BJP scored a massive win in Delhi, ending the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) 10-year rule in Delhi, a key question is doing the rounds. Did the Congress's solo show in Delhi hurt AAP's prospects, dividing the Opposition votes and making the road to victory easier for the BJP?
According to the Election Commission data, AAP got 43 per cent of the vote share, while the BJP cornered 45 per cent. The Congress got 6 per cent of the vote share but won zero seats. So, an AAP-Congress alliance could have kept the BJP in the Opposition. However, local rivalries and both parties' reluctance to reach an agreement ruled out this possibility. Also, the AAP-Congress alliance during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls did not yield good results for the Opposition and BJP won all seven Delhi seats.
While the AAP has accused the Congress of speaking in the same language as the BJP, the Congress has said it was not its responsibility to ensure AAP's win. It must, however, be kept in mind that even with the 11 seats AAP lost to a split in Opposition votes, the ruling party would have fallen short of the majority mark. So while the Congress candidates hurt AAP's prospects, the BJP clearly outperformed it in the capital fight.
News Agency looks at 11 key seats where top AAP leaders lost to the BJP by slim margins while the Congress cornered a significant chunk of votes.
New Delhi:
AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal lost to the BJP's Parvesh Verma in the New Delhi constituency. The margin was 4,089 votes. Congress's Sandeep Dikshit, former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's son, got 4,568 votes and finished a distant third. So, if the AAP and the Congress had contested this election together, Mr Kejriwal would have likely scored a slim victory.
Jangpura:
Former Deputy Chief Minister and AAP Number 2 Manish Sisodia lost to BJP's Tarvinder Singh Marwah by a thin margin of 675 votes. Look at the candidate list and you find Congress's Farhad Suri, who got 7,350 votes. An alliance would have likely transferred these votes to Mr Sisodia and ensured his comfortable victory.
Greater Kailash:
Greater Kailash in south Delhi was being seen as a safe seat for the AAP and many had hoped three-time MLA and minister Saurabh Bharadwaj would win comfortably. But the BJP's Shikha Roy defeated Mr Bharadwaj by a margin of 3,188 votes. The Congress's Garvit Singhvi won 6,711 votes and if there was an alliance, it is possible that Mr Bharadwaj won the seat.
Malviya Nagar:
A similar story unfolded in Malviya Nagar, where BJP's Satish Upadhyay defeated three-time MLA Somnath Bharti by a margin of 2,131 votes. The Congress's Jitender Kumar Kochar got 6,770 votes, effectively ruining the game for the AAP candidate.
Badli:
In Badli, BJP's Aahir Deepal Chaudharyy defeated AAP's Ajesh Yadav by 15,163 votes. The Congress Devender Yadav won 41,071 votes. If there had been an alliance, AAP could have had a smooth sail.
Timarpur:
BJP's Surya Prakash Khatri won Timarpur by a slim margin of 1,168 votes, defeating the BJP's Surinder Pal Singh. The Congress Lokendra Kalyan Singh won 8,361 votes and this worked to the BJP's advantage.
Nangloi Jat:
The BJP's Manoj Kumar Shokeen won the seat by a margin of 26,251 votes, defeating the AAP's Raghuvinder Shokeen. The Congress's Rohit Choudhary got 32,028 votes and ate into the Opposition votes that would have otherwise gone to AAP.
Rajinder Nagar:
Senior AAP leader Durgesh Pathak lost to the BJP's Umang Bajaj by a margin of 1,231 votes. Vineet Yadav of the Congress, who got 4,105 votes, worked to the AAP's disadvantage.
Chhatarpur:
In south Delhi's Chhatarpur, BJP's Kartar Singh Tanwar defeated the AAP's Brahm Singh Tanwar by a margin of 6,239 votes. The Congres's Rajender Singh Tanwar got 6,601 votes, more than the margin of defeat. This worked to the BJP's advantage.
Sangam Vihar:
BJP's Chandan Kumar Choudhary won the election by the thinnest margin across the capital, defeating AAP's Dinesh Mohaniya by just 344 votes. In the same seat, Congress's Harsh Choudhary got 15,863 votes and spoiled the AAP's game.
Trilokpuri:
The east Delhi seat saw BJP's Ravi Kant winning by a margin of just 392 seats. AAP's Anjana Parcha lost to the BJP and the Congress's Amardeep, who won 6,147 votes, clearly split the Opposition votes.
