The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lost to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the local body elections in New Delhi.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has broken the BJP’s 15-year electoral hegemony, according to the Indian media. The results have shown that the AAP has won in 134 wards, BJP in 104 wards, Congress in 9 wards and independent candidates have won in 3 wards.
In the local body elections, Arvind Kejriwal New Delhi’s Chief Minister and his Party are well ahead of the BJP.
AAP controls the New Delhi Assembly whereas the BJP formerly held sway over local organizations and has now been supplanted by the AAP after winning more seats. After declaring victory in the local body elections Kejriwal thanked the voters and urged them to cooperate for the benefit of the city.
Both parties ran an accusatory electoral campaign in New Delhi and the heads of both campaigns including union ministers and chief ministers of other states canvassed neighbourhoods to win support.
Since 2007 BJP has won the campaign for municipal office in New Delhi and in 2013 AAP established the Lok Sabha’s administration. This is the first election following the merging of municipal corporations and the reorganization of wards.
In 2017 AAP won 48 seats, Congress won 30 seats and BJP won 181 of the total 270 seats.
