The Delhi election results show a big change: the BJP is back in power after 27 years. This happened because many people in Delhi voted against the leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Arvind Kejriwal, but they didn’t completely reject AAP’s ideas.
Kejriwal made this election about himself, and when he lost, it showed that people were not happy with him, even though AAP still got a lot of votes. The BJP showed everyone that they can adapt their strategy to connect local and national issues.
The Congress party also played a role, focusing more on defeating Kejriwal than on taking down the BJP, which helped create the situation. One big lesson from AAP’s loss is that politicians should not be too proud or too ambitious. Kejriwal’s popularity took a hit when issues like the liquor scandal and his expensive residence came to light. People felt he was not the anti-corruption champion they believed him to be. His strange accusations, like saying Haryana was poisoning Delhi’s water, didn’t help either.
The BJP focused on attracting the middle class, which is a large part of Delhi’s population. They also provided tax benefits, which increased their support. Delhi has unique features that make leaders feel confident. It gets a lot of attention as the national capital and has high revenues that allow for many benefits to voters. However, Kejriwal exploited these advantages too much. Instead of improving important areas like education and healthcare, he used Delhi’s funds for expensive promotions about himself in other states.
After his big win in 2015, Kejriwal began to think he could be Prime Minister and lost focus on his responsibilities in Delhi. He could have better used the city’s funds to actually improve it, but in the end, many of his policies relied on giving away free services rather than creating real change.
Kejriwal also lost support from allies, viewing himself as a national leader instead of focusing on his local government. The Congress party saw AAP as a threat to their position and worked to weaken them. Kejriwal now needs to reflect on his mistakes. If he does this, he can become a stronger politician. He needs to clearly show his plans and ideas beyond Delhi without just relying on giving away free services. AAP still has a brand that people recognize, but it spent too much trust this time.
For the BJP, the real challenge starts now. If any area needs good governance, it’s Delhi.
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