Kejriwal’s ‘New Delhi dream’ bottled up by BJP’s Parvesh Verma

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal faced an embarrassing defeat in his New Delhi seat as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rival Parvesh Verma emerged as the giant slayer.

The former Delhi chief minister tasted defeat by 3,182 votes in a shocking breakdown for the IRS-turned-politician who rose to prominence with the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare.

On the other hand, AAP leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also conceded defeat from his Jangpura constituency and expressed hope that the BJP would work for the welfare of the people in the area.

“I extend my congratulations to the winning candidate and hope they will focus on the progress and welfare of the people of Jangpura,” he told reporters.

After nine rounds of counting, Sisodia was trailing by 572 votes. 

While the AAP has dominated the political landscape in Delhi for the last 10 years, the BJP has been out of power in the city since 1998.

The Congress, which governed Delhi from 1998 to 2013 and was hoping for a resurgence, seemed headed for its third straight washout.

Delhi, with 1.55 crore eligible voters, recorded a turnout of 60.54 per cent in the February 5 elections.