BJP sweeps Rajouri bypoll; AAP third, loses deposit

New Delhi: The BJP registered a massive victory in the Rajouri Garden Assembly bypolls on Thursday, defeating the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which finished a distant third and even lost its deposit.

The bypoll results assume significance as the three parties are going to face the crucial civic polls on April 23.

The BJP-SAD joint candidate, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, bagged 40,602 seats, over 50 per cent of the total votes polled.

Congress’ Meenakshi Chandela finished second with 25,950 votes while, AAP’s Harjeet Singh managed to get only 10,243 votes, less than one-sixth of the total votes polled.

After the victory, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said, “The bypoll results show there is a high Modi wave. Arvind Kejriwal should now understand that it is not EVM but people who give verdict in a democracy. It is a day when people have strongly rejected a fascist Tughlaqi-rule Kejriwal,” he said. With this victory, the number of BJP legislators in Delhi Assembly has gone up to four. In the 2015 Assembly polls, the AAP had won 67 seats out of total 70. The Congress does not have any presence in the House.

The seat fell vacant early this year after AAP’s Jarnail Singh quit as MLA, to contest the Punjab Assembly poll against then Punjab chief minister and SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal.

The party had swept Delhi with 67 out of 70 seats in the assembly elections in 2015 and is attempting to wrest all three municipal councils in Delhi from the BJP. The result came as a blow to AAP plans to win all the three civic bodies.

The AAP denied that the result could have an impact on the MCD polls.

“AAP loss in Rajouri bypoll won’t impact MCD elections. Performance of our government will ensure AAP’s victory in the civic polls. The party lost the bypolls as people were unhappy with Mr Jarnail Singh’s decision to go to Punjab and contest election,” said deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.

In terms of vote share, the Congress staged a revival by getting around 33 per cent of the total votes cast, an increase of 21 per cent over the 2015 Assembly polls. Around 47 per cent of the 1.6 lakh electors of West Delhi seats cast their vote on April 9.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken termed the poll result as resurgence of the grand old party in the city. “While the Congress received only 12 per cent votes in last Assembly elections, it has increased its vote share to 33 per cent votes. Within two years, the Congress has been able to achieve a 300 per cent growth in its vote share,” said Mr Maken.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said the Congress’ first aim was to decimate the AAP in Delhi, which is “evident” from the Rajouri Garden bypoll result, and it will also do the same to the BJP in municipal polls.