Kejriwal’s Quest for Power Behind AAP Loss: Anna Hazare

AAP particularly has been hit hard by the results as the local poll, together with the recent Rajouri Garden assembly bypoll where the party came third, was seen as a mid-term referendum on its two-year-old Delhi government.

Interestingly, BJP’s vote share did not show a marked variation in the three polls even as there was sharp variation in the seats it won. “There was huge displeasure among many sitting councilors and he handled it very tactfully while promising them new roles in the party organization”.

Tiwari called for Kejriwal’s resignation, saying “the people of Delhi have exercised their right to recall” by voting against the AAP, which rode to power more than two years ago, winning 67 of the 70 legislative seats in the Delhi Assembly polls. And its victory signals a continuation of the three-way stalemate between the East corporation’s 23,000-odd sanitation workers and other employees – such as teachers of municipal schools, doctors and attendants at municipal hospitals – the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party government. The Aam Aadmi Party managed to bag 48 seats, and the Congress 30.

Kejriwal who has been up in arms against the Election Commission as well as the BJP over EVM tampering, however, remained silent on the issue. It has failed to pay its employees on multiple occasions, citing low revenue generation from house tax and advertisements. Also, the party should have realised that the claims of EVMs being rigged would not help it in consolidating public support.

Union Sports Minister and BJP leader Vijay Goel said the mandate has proven the credibility of the work Prime Minister Modi has done in the past three years. The BJP has performed extremely well in elections where regional opponents have allowed themselves to be directly pitted against the prime minister.

Stating that he was expecting a better results by the party, Maken said that he was taking the responsibility of the party’s defeat. “But for the Sukma incident, we would be on the streets celebrating this massive victory”. Congress is leading on 18 seats whereas the AAP is ahead on 15 seats.

So here is a 10 point chart for the Opposition parties– in Delhi’s case AAP and Congress–to start with. AAP and its leaders would do well to turn the focus from voting machines towards their own souls for answers as to why they have been routed.

Polling did not take place in two wards, Maujpur in east Delhi and Sarai Pipal Thala in north Delhi where a candidate each of the Samajwadi Party died.

The verdict is expected to reshape the political equations in the country’s power capital. The north-east Delhi parliamentarian was new to Delhi politics and his influence was only limited to his constituency.

The Congress needs to do a lot more if it seeks to regain past glory. Its state president Ajay Maken has offered to resign.