'We accept mandate of the people': Kejriwal after poll defeat
What's the story
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal issued a statement after he was defeated by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Parvesh Verma in the New Delhi seat. "We accept the mandate of the people with great humility. I congratulate the BJP...and I hope they will fulfil all...promises for which people have voted them," he said. He went on to list the works his government has done in the fields of health, education, and infrastructure, adding, "We'll continue to serve them."
Candidate profile
BJP's Parvesh Verma ends Kejriwal's New Delhi reign
Verma defeated Kejriwal by a margin of 3,182 votes. Kejriwal had won the seat since 2013. A two-time West Delhi MP and son of former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, Verma's campaign revolved around civic issues and blamed Kejriwal for ignoring them. In a symbolic protest against pollution, Verma drowned an effigy of Kejriwal in the Yamuna River. After winning, he tweeted "The darkness has gone, the sun rose, the lotus bloomed. Delhi has chosen development."
Election analysis
Corruption charges and voter shift impact AAP's performance
Kejriwal's defeat was announced soon after his former deputy, Manish Sisodia, lost his seat in Janpgura. Both leaders are embroiled in corruption charges in a liquor policy scam. That being said, there was some good news for AAP as CM Atishi won against BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri. Political analysts say the AAP's loss could be due to women and middle-class voters shifting to the BJP due to party manifestos and changes in personal income tax rebates.
Twitter Post
Watch his statement here
#WATCH | On #DelhiElection2025, AAP national convener and former Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal, "We accept the mandate of the people with great humility. I congratulate the BJP for this victory and I hope they will fulfil all the promises for which people have voted them. We have… pic.twitter.com/VZOwLS8OVH
— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2025
Political trajectory
Kejriwal's political journey and future challenges
Kejriwal's political journey started with him joining Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement. He founded the AAP in 2012 and soon made headlines by defeating Congress leader Sheila Dikshit in 2013. His governance model revolved around free electricity, better schools, and mohalla clinics. But the election results mark a major turning point for both Kejriwal and AAP, which had spun the "clean politics" narrative.