Modi's party poised to lose Delhi election after polarising campaign

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party is projected to suffer a major defeat in another key state election, after failing to win over voters in Delhi with a campaign that was one of its most polarising yet.

The anti-establishment Aam Aadmi party (AAP), which has governed the capital for the past five years, is on course to win 62 seats in the 70-seat assembly, after running on an agenda centred on anti-corruption, healthcare and education, which have hugely improved during its time in power.

The BJP, meanwhile, will probably take just 8 seats after a campaign that played heavily on its Hindu nationalist agenda and fearmongering against the Muslim community, only a small increase from the three seats it held previously.

Much of AAP’s popularity is centred on its leader, Arvind Kejriwal, once a self-confessed anarchist and anti-corruption activist, who has been highly critical of the BJP government during his time as Delhi chief minister. Speaking at a press conference after his party’s victory was assured, a visibly emotional Kejriwal said: “It is a victory of people of Delhi who considered me their son.”

Multiple AAP MPs celebrated the party’s predicted victory. “This is the victory of work over hatred,” said Amanatullah Khan, who was elected MP for Delhi’s Okhla constituency.

The senior AAP MP Sanjay Singh thanked Delhi’s voters for the “historic mandate”. “It took them [the BJP] the whole cabinet, 300 MPs, five chief ministers, many ex-chief ministers, their whole power but still they failed to defeat Kejriwal,” said Singh.

BJP national president JP Nadda conceded defeat. “The BJP respects the mandate given by the people of Delhi,” he said. “The BJP will play the role of a constructive opposition and will prominently raise every issue related to the development of the state. With the belief that the Aam Aadmi Party government will develop Delhi, I congratulate Arvind Kejriwal and his party.”

Prime minister Narendra Modi also tweeted his congratulations to the AAP and Kejriwal.

It appears that Congress, India’s oldest party, which had ruled Delhi for 15 years until 2013, once again failed to win a single seat.

The defeat constitutes another setback for Modi’s party, which faces the worst unrest in more than four decades.

(THE GUARDIAN)