Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday thanked Delhi's public for the victory in Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls (MCD elections) and took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has won the Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls (MCD elections), ending BJP's 15-year-old rule over Delhi's civic bodies.
Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday thanked Delhi's public for the victory in Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls (MCD elections) and took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In an apparent dig at the BJP, Sisodia thanked the Delhi's people and said they have defeated the "world's biggest and most negative party".
By 2 pm, the AAP had won 130 of the 250 MCD wards, according to the figures from the State Election Commission. The BJP ranked second in the MCD results tally with 99 seats. Though the AAP won as per predictions, the margin of victory is narrower than expected.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to address people after the results. The high-stakes election was held on December 4, sealing the electoral fate of 1,349 candidates in voting machines. A voter turnout of 50.48 per cent was registered in the elections.
Reacting to MCD eletion results, Sisodia in a tweet said it's not just a victory but a big responsibility for them.
"Thank you from the heart for trusting Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi MCD. You have defeated the world's biggest and most negative party and have made radically honest and hardworking Arvind Kejriwal the winner. This is not just a victory for us but also a big responsibility," said Sisodia on Twitter in Hindi
The results of MCD elections may have ramifications beyond the national capital. The AAP and Kejriwal were counting on MCD election victory to bolster their case against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP in the 2024 national elections. With victory in MCD, the AAP would consolidate hold over Delhi politics and with near-simultaneous inroads in Gujarat, and earlier victory in Punjab, would give AAP a national footprint to emerge as a challenger to BJP.
The BJP's performance in the MCD elections is a setback for the party as it had deployed its who's who in the campaign, ranging from Union ministers to chief ministers of BJP-run states. Yet the party fell short of the desired numbers. Moreover, the BJP was counting on to control the MCD to further batter AAP in Delhi government. That plan is also over.
(With PTI inputs)