After thrashing the BJP, Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) romped home with a resounding victory in the Delhi Assembly Election. The party won 62 seats while the BJP won only 8 seats in the 70 member assembly while the Congress failed to open its account. Even though Delhi witnessed a three way contest between AAP, BJP and Congress, this time the actual battle was fought by the BJP and AAP. Exit polls had predicted another term for AAP. In the 70-chair Legislative Assembly, a political party or an alliance needs the support of at least 36 MLAs to form the government.
AAP MP Narain Dass Gupta said, “This win has to go to the people of Delhi so also to the work done by AAP. This win has turned a new leaf in politics which says that good work will only pay and not on false talk. In the coming years we will develop Delhi in a big way that will help us make Delhi a world class city.”
After emerging victorious AAP seems to now signal its national ambitions. Posters installed outside the party office are asking people to join AAP in nation building. While campaigning for Delhi assembly polls, Kejriwal had promised to offer free delivery of rations at home, offer patriotism curriculum to school students and spoken English classes. His party also coined the slogan ‘Five years have gone by well.’
It may be recalled that the BJP had failed to declare its chief ministerial candidate as AAP highlighted this aspect while campaigning for polls. BJP’s strategy of not declaring a chief ministerial candidate too seems to have backfired as a wrong message that was sent to voters that the party lacked the services of an able leader to lead the state. The party had promised wheat at Rs 2 per kg for the poor, cycle for girls from poor families who enter class IX, free electric scooter for college-going girls from poor families and Rs 51,000 for marriage of daughters of poor widows.
All these promises failed to attract voters as the party suffered another debacle in the polls. Here it may be recalled that BJP had last come to power in Delhi in 1990.
