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Arvind Kejriwal, the chief of the Aam Aadmi Party and former Chief Minister, lost the New Delhi seat to Parvesh Sahib Singh of the BJP by a margin of 4,089 votes, dealing a major blow to the ruling party. With the BJP leading in 48 out of 70 seats, AAP is heading towards a significant defeat, managing to secure only 22 seats.
This is the second time the BJP has won the New Delhi Assembly seat. In 2013, Kejriwal defeated Sheila Dikshit in the same seat, ending Congress's 15-year dominance.
After his victory, Verma said, "This is not just my win, it is the triumph of the people of Delhi who chose truth over lies, governance over gimmicks and development over deception. I humbly thank every voter who placed their trust in me."
Conceding defeat of his party, Kejriwal said in a video message, "We accept the people's mandate with humility. I congratulate the BJP on its victory and hope it fulfills the expectations of Delhi's residents." Verma, the son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of Delhi for the BJP's strong performance.
Kejriwal's defeat marks a significant political shift in the national capital, signalling the BJP's resurgence after 12 years of AAP dominance. The BJP will return to power in the national capital after over 26 years.
Who is Parvesh Sahib Singh?
Sahib Singh Verma was a BJP politician and the former Chief Minister of Delhi. His uncle, Azad Singh, also held important posts, including mayor of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
According to the Election Commission of India, Verma is leading by over 4000 votes against Kejriwal with counting for the last round still underway.
Parvesh Verma's wife, Swati Singh Verma, said the victory shows the trust, people of Delhi have put in BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Parvesh Verma's sister, Rachna Sindhu, highlighted the strong support from the women in the constituency, while his daughters, Trisha and Sanidhi, expressed gratitude for the people's faith.
Daughters of Parvesh Verma, Trisha and Sanidhi said, "We thank the people of New Delhi for their support. The people of Delhi will never make the mistake of giving a second chance to a person who runs government by telling lies...We knew that there would be a clear-cut victory, we were just waiting for the right time. This time the people of Delhi did not let lies win..."
Sanidhi further said, "We all are very happy. I thank the people of New Delhi for giving us a chance to serve them for the next five years. We are very happy about becoming the MLA.. We have always accepted the posts given to him by the party, this time too we will accept it happily."
With inputs from agencies