New Delhi, 8 February 2025- Twelve years later, the AAP’s national convener, was crushed by the BJP’s David- 47-year-old Parvesh Verma. However, the numbers tell a different story. Mr. Kejriwal lost to Mr. Verma by a margin of 4,089 votes.
Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit (son of Sheila Dikshit) received 4,568 votes and finished a distant third. So, if the AAP and the Congress had contested this election together, Mr Kejriwal would have most certainly won by a tiny margin. But that was not to be.
The data tell a different story. In the 2020 election, Mr Kejriwal won New Delhi by more than 21,000 votes over the BJP’s Sunil Yadav. Romesh Sabharwal, the Congress candidate, then received 3,220 votes. So, based on the figures, the BJP has undoubtedly made significant gains in the constituency between both elections.
Furthermore, the suspicions of corruption against the AAP convener in the liquor policy case, as well as reported anomalies in the renovation of the Chief Minister’s residence, appear to have weighed heavily on voters’ minds.
In the run-up to the election, Mr Dikshit ran a passionate campaign against the AAP leader, claiming that the Congress must highlight the Delhi government’s faults. His sister Latika, who campaigned for him, stated that Sheila Dikshit is still remembered in the hearts of Delhi residents for her pivotal role in the city’s development.
Interestingly, Mr. Verma is the son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma. Sahib Singh Verma, a BJP veteran, served as the national capital’s Chief Minister from February 1996 until October 1998, succeeding Madan Lal Khurana.