Delhi Assembly Election: Big blow to AAP as vote share declines by 10 per cent

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faced a major setback in the Delhi Assembly election as its vote share declined by nearly 10per cent. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the winning party in the polls, not only marked its resurgence in the capital but also saw a significant increase in its vote share. The saffron party’s vote share climbed by 7 per cent in the Delhi elections.

The BJP made a comeback to power in the national capital after 26 years. Though the Congress failed to win any seats in the 70-member assembly, the party witnessed a marginal improvement in its vote share.

The BJP won 48 of the 70 seats at stake and the AAP was way behind with 22, according to the Election Commission website. The elections were largely seen as a bipolar contest between the AAP, which made a determined bid for a fourth term, and the BJP. While the AAP had 62 members in the outgoing house, the saffron party had just eight legislators.

AAP secured a vote share of 43.57 per cent, down from 53.57 per cent in the 2020 elections. In the 2015 Assembly elections, it had secured 54.5 per cent of the votes. In both 2015 and 2020, the party won a massive mandate with 67 and 62 seats, respectively. However, this time, it was restricted to just 22 seats.

The BJP, returning to power, secured a vote share of 45.56 per cent and won 48 seats. The party's vote share rose from 38.51 per cent in 2020 and 32.3 per cent in the 2015 elections.

The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years from 1998 to 2013, did not win any seats but secured a vote share of 6.34 per cent. The only consolation for the grand old party was a 2.1 per cent improvement in its vote share.

The party polled 6.34 per cent of the valid votes compared to 4.3 per cent in the 2020 Assembly elections, indirectly denting its INDIA bloc partner AAP across several constituencies.