New Delhi, Feb 8: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) romped home wresting the national capital from AAP's control on Saturday, decisively defeating the party that governed Delhi since 2013.

The resounding victory of BJP and ignominious defeat for AAP has more meanings than one – first, it marks the end of AAP's era and also a governance model that reverberated across the nation and saw its political footprints expanding beyond the capital. Secondly, it vividly reflects the public mood that the freebies and sops alone can't be a guarantee to win elections.

Thirdly and most importantly, the BJP's landslide victory signifies the party's growing clout in the Hindi heartland. With BJP winning Delhi, this completes BJP's domination in the region including the national capital. The BJP is already in power in states surrounding the capital including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

BJP has been in power in adjoining Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for three and two consecutive terms respectively and snatched power from Congress in Rajasthan in the 2023 elections. Haryana witnessed a turf battle in 2023 as BJP and Congress engaged in a fierce poll battle but it was the former that had the last laugh.

Just a year later, Delhi saw a high-stakes battle with all three AAP, Congress and BJP putting their foot down but it was the latter which outwitted all and stormed to power, after almost three decades.

Interestingly, 48 out of 70 seats where BJP has either won or is ahead, include the border constituencies lining up with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The city's border constituencies, particularly with Haryana refused to buy AAP's theory of water contamination and water terrorism charge by the adjoining BJP government and voted against its poll rhetoric.

Days ahead of polling, Delhi CM Atishi and AAP office bearers made a scathing attack on the Haryana government, accusing it of "poisoning" the Yamuna river with an intention to "kill" Delhiites. Kejriwal also made a similar pitch, hoping to build resentment among the public against BJP. But, this failed to cut ice and AAP faced the people's ire even in border districts for keeping "theatrics over governance".

AAP government's repeated accusations of the Centre and failure to address the stubble-burning issue in its party ruled Punjab didn't do any good. Kejriwal's repeated charge of stalling projects by Delhi L-G was seen as a "diversionary tactic" and people rather believed that the double-engine government would be key to Delhi's problems.

Kejriwal's impassioned appeal to people after being released from jail, that he would return to the CM post only if the people's court elected him, also didn't move voters. This gambit also failed to yield results.

People saw all these as an exercise to wash their hands of responsibility and went to punish the party, which won more than three-fourths majority twice, first in 2015 and then in 2020.

The BJP, since 2014 has largely enjoyed dominance in North India. However, winning Delhi was beyond its reach despite popular appeal. It was handed over a crushing defeat in both the 2015 and 2020 Assembly elections, at the hands of Kejriwal-led AAP. However, this time, BJP marching to victory with a thumping majority marks an end to its long and anxious wait to be in power in the national capital.

(IANS)

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