AAP’s Kejriwal concedes defeat with humility as BJP wins Delhi after 27 years

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Feb 8 conceded his party's defeat in the high-stakes Delhi Assembly elections as the BJP is set to end its 27-year drought and heading for a nearly two-third majority in the 70-member assembly.

AAP is heading towards a big defeat with the BJP leading on 47 seats, leaving AAP to just 23 seats.

AAP supremo Kejriwal and his number two Manish Sisodia are trailing BJP's Parvesh Verma and Tarvinder Singh Marwah, respectively.

In a video message, AAP supremo said, "We accept people's mandate with humility and I congratulate the BJP for its victory and also hope that it will fulfil the expectations of the people of Delhi."

Reflecting on the work done by AAP in the past decade, Kejriwal said, "We have done a lot of work in education, water, electricity, infrastructure to provide relief to Delhiites."

Kejriwal said that AAP will play the role of a constructive opposition, saying, "In the next five years, AAP will not only play the role of a constructive opposition, but will also be available to the people of Delhi."

"We are not in politics for power, instead we consider it as a medium to serve people," Kejriwal claimed in the video message.

In the end, the AAP chief thanked all his party workers. "I thank all AAP workers for their hardwork during the elections and we fought a good election."

While AAP has dominated the political landscape in Delhi for the last 10 years, the BJP has been out of power in the city since 1998.

The Congress, which governed Delhi from 1998 to 2013 and was hoping for a resurgence, seemed headed for its third straight washout.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Atishi also accepted the people's mandate in the assembly elections, calling it a "setback" but vowing to continue the party's struggle against the BJP.

"First of all, I thank the people of Delhi and our party workers who stood strong. We accept the mandate. The war against BJP's dictatorship and hooliganism will continue. This is a setback but AAP's fight for the people of Delhi and the country will go on," Atishi told reporters.

Expressing gratitude to her supporters, the AAP leader said, “I thank the people who trusted me. I also thank my team, which faced all challenges and took our message to the public. I have won my seat but this is not a time for celebration — this is the time to fight. The battle against BJP's authoritarianism will continue.”

Stating that AAP has always fought against injustice and will continue to do so, Atishi said, "Yes, this may be one step back, but AAP will keep fighting."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said people's power is supreme as the BJP is headed for a big win in the Delhi assembly elections.

Modi asserted that his party will leave no stone unturned for the city's all-round development and making the lives of its residents better.

Development and good governance have won, the prime minister said as he thanked Delhi's voters for giving the BJP a historic win.

"We guarantee that we will leave no stone unturned to ensure the all-round development of Delhi and to make the lives of its people better. Along with this, we will also ensure that Delhi plays an important role in building a developed India," he added.

Modi said he was proud of BJP workers who toiled day and night for such a massive mandate. "We will now be dedicated to the service of the people of Delhi with more strength," he added.

Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah also hailed the Delhi poll results as the beginning of a new era of development in the national capital and an end to the reign of lies, deceit and corruption.

Amid jubilation in the saffron party's camp following its return to power in the city after nearly 27 years, its leaders praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh asserting that a developed Delhi was extremely necessary to fulfil the resolve of a developed India.

The double-engine government will take the pace of development in Delhi to a new high, he said in a post on X.

In a series of posts on X, Shah — who is credited for shaping the details of the party's poll strategy — said Delhi would become an ideal capital under Modi's leadership.

The BJP is determined to fulfil all its promises and make Delhi the number one capital of the world, he said.

Residents of Delhi have shown that repeated false promises cannot mislead people, he said, asserting that they answered through their votes to the problems of a polluted Yamuna, dirty drinking water, broken roads, overflowing sewers and liquor shops in every street.

Be it respect for women, self-respect of unauthorized colony residents or the immense possibilities of self-employment, Delhi will now become an ideal capital under Modi's leadership, he said.

BJP president JP Nadda said the party's massive win was a victory of people's unwavering support in its model of service, good governance, welfare of the poor, and development under Modi's able leadership.

The "AAP-da" government in Delhi had crossed all limits of corruption, misgovernance and appeasement. The city is now free from its lies, deceit and fraud, and is starting a journey into a new era of progress and respect, he claimed.

Nadda said, "This historic mandate reflects people's trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for a brighter and more progressive future for Delhi."

Shah said the results were a defeat of arrogance and anarchy.

"This is a victory of 'Modi ki Guarantee' and the trust of the people of Delhi in Modi's vision of development," he added.

The people of Delhi dismantled the "Sheesh Mahal" of lies, deceit and corruption and made the city "AAP-da free", he said, targeting AAP.

(PTI inputs)