By Vishwapati
Patna: The results of the Delhi Assembly election are out, and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suffered a crushing defeat. Additionally, two Bihar-based parties, the Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) [LJP(R)], which contested the election in alliance with the BJP, have also faced a heavy loss.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unseated Arvind Kejriwal, securing a decisive victory in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. As part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the BJP had allocated two seats to its allies—JD(U) and LJP(R). However, both parties failed to secure a win in their respective constituencies. LJP(R) contested the Deoli seat but suffered a significant defeat.
This setback is expected to have a profound impact on the Bihar Assembly elections, where JD(U) and LJP(R) are now likely to receive fewer seats within the alliance.
In Deoli, NDA ally LJP(R) fielded candidate Deepak Tanwar, who faced a heavy defeat. AAP’s Prem Chauhan secured a decisive victory, defeating Tanwar by a margin of 36,680 votes. While Tanwar managed to secure 50,209 votes, Chauhan triumphed with 86,889 votes, marking a significant blow to Chirag Paswan’s party.
Chirag Paswan had spared no effort in ensuring victory for his candidate, deploying key leaders from Bihar to bolster the campaign in Deoli. However, the electorate in Delhi overwhelmingly rejected both Paswan’s leadership and his party’s candidate.
Meanwhile, BJP had allocated the Burari seat to its ally JD(U), with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar fielding Shailendra Kumar as the candidate. Despite a rigorous campaign by senior JD(U) leaders, the party faced defeat. AAP’s Sanjeev Jha defeated Shailendra Kumar by approximately 14,000 votes.
The BJP’s strategy of allocating these seats to JD(U) and LJP(R) aimed to attract Purvanchali voters in Delhi. However, the NDA alliance suffered losses in both constituencies, while AAP secured victory in both. Despite a high-energy campaign by JD(U) and LJP(R) leaders, the electorate did not favour them. While the BJP has performed exceptionally well across Delhi, NDA allies have failed to gain a foothold in Purvanchal-dominated constituencies.
The election outcome has raised pertinent questions regarding the seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The performance of JD(U) and LJP(R) in Delhi has cast doubts on their electoral prospects, potentially influencing the NDA’s strategy in Bihar.
- The author, Vishwapati, is a senior journalist based in Patna. He may be contacted at vishwapati25@gmail.com
