The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a historic victory in the Delhi Assembly elections on Saturday, reclaiming power in the national capital after 27 years.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faced a major defeat, with several key leaders, including former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, losing in their strongholds.
This win further strengthens the BJP’s hold on national politics, following its recent electoral successes in Maharashtra and Haryana.
The Congress, which had hoped for a revival in Delhi, failed to secure a single seat once again, marking its third consecutive zero tally in the assembly elections. The party had previously ruled Delhi for 15 years, from 1998 to 2013.
BJP won 48 out of 70 seats, while AAP secured 22 seats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the BJP’s triumph, attributing it to the "good governance" of the party both at the Centre and in states where it is in power.
"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 honored to receive these blessings. 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," Modi stated in a post on X.
"I am so proud of each and every @BJP4India Karyakarta, who has worked very hard, leading to this outstanding result. We will work even more vigorously and serve the wonderful people of Delhi," he added.
Among the prominent AAP leaders who lost the elections were former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, former ministers Somnath Bharti and Satyendra Jain, as well as party leaders Awadh Ojha and Durgesh Pathak.
Chief Minister Atishi, however, secured a win from the Kalkaji constituency.
Accepting the people’s mandate, Kejriwal congratulated BJP on its victory.
"We accept the mandate of the people with great humility. I congratulate the BJP for this victory and I hope they will fulfill all the promises for which people have voted for them," Kejriwal said in a video posted on X.
"We have done a lot of work in the field of health, education, and infrastructure over the last 10 years. We will not only play the role of a constructive opposition but will also remain among the people and continue to serve them. We did not come into politics for the sake of power, we considered politics as a medium through which the people can be served," he added.
The election results largely aligned with exit poll predictions, which had indicated a BJP victory.
In the New Delhi constituency, BJP’s Parvesh Verma defeated Kejriwal by over 4,000 votes. Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit received 4,568 votes. Atishi won from Kalkaji, defeating BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri by over 3,500 votes, while Congress’s Alka Lamba secured 4,392 votes.
"I thank the people of Kalkaji for showing trust in me. I congratulate my team who worked against 'baahubal'...We accept the people's mandate. I have won, but it's not a time to celebrate, but to continue the 'war' against the BJP," Atishi told reporters.
Sisodia lost in Jangpura to BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah by a narrow margin of 675 votes. Conceding defeat, he expressed hope that the winning candidate would serve the constituency well.
Among other winners, Gopal Rai secured the Babarpur seat, defeating BJP’s Anil Kumar Vashisht by 18,994 votes. Kailash Gahlot, who had switched from AAP to BJP before the elections, won from Bijwasan, defeating AAP’s Surender Bhardwaj.
Several BJP leaders also emerged victorious, including Vijender Gupta from Rohini, Kapil Mishra from Karawal Nagar, and Ravinder Singh Negi from Patparganj.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed gratitude to the people of Delhi for their support.
"Delhi ke Dil mein Modi (Modi in the heart of Delhi). This is a victory of 'Modi ki Guarantee' and the faith of Delhiites in Modi ji's vision of development. Heartfelt gratitude to the people of Delhi for this massive mandate. Under the leadership of Modiji, BJP is determined to fulfill all its promises and make Delhi the number-one capital of the world," Shah stated.
"People have responded to the dirty Yamuna, dirty drinking water, broken roads, overflowing sewers, and liquor shops open in every street with their votes. I heartily congratulate all the workers of BJP Delhi who worked day and night for this grand victory," he added.
Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal took a sharp dig at AAP, stating that "God punishes" those who commit crimes against women.
Her remarks were seen as a reference to the assault allegations she made against Kejriwal’s personal aide, Bibhav Kumar.
AAP had previously dominated the last two Delhi Assembly elections, securing 62 out of 70 seats in 2020 and 67 seats in 2015.
Vote counting began on Saturday morning following polling on February 5.
