Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist party won the most seats in the high-stakes state legislature election in India’s federal territory, including New Delhi, according to official data on Saturday.
Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party won 40 seats in the 70-member assembly that includes India’s capital of 20 million people, ousting the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, that ruled New Delhi since 2015.
The AAP won 17. Counting was still ongoing in the 13 other seats.
In a major upset, the AAP founder and its top leader, Arvind Kejriwal, and his deputy Manish Sisodia, lost their seats, despite their party having built widespread support with its welfare policies and anti-corruption movement.
Supporters of the BJP, waving party flags and Modi posters, chanted slogans and danced outside its headquarters in the capital as vote results began trickling with most exit polls predicting the party’s win.
Amit Shah, India’s powerful home minister and the BJP leader, said in a statement that his party’s victory signified that “people can’t be misled with lies every time”.
“Our victory is a sign of the people’s faith in Prime Minister Modi’s vision of progress,” he said.
Over 60% of more than 15 million eligible people voted to elect the local government on Wednesday.
Saturday’s victory is seen as a big boost for the BJP after it failed to secure a majority on its own in last year’s national election but formed the government with coalition partners.
It gained some lost ground by winning two state elections in northern Haryana and western Maharashtra states last year.
Ahead of this election, Mr Modi’s party slashed income taxes on the salaried middle class, one of its key voting blocs, in the federal budget.
I am so proud of each and every @BJP4India Karyakarta, who has worked very hard, leading to this outstanding result. We will work even more vigorously and serve the wonderful people of Delhi.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 8, 2025
During the electioneering, both Mr Modi and Mr Kejriwal offered to revamp government schools and provide free health services and electricity, along with a monthly stipend of more than 2,000 rupees (£20) to poor women.
Mr Kejriwal was arrested last year along with two key party leaders on charges of receiving bribes from an alcohol distributor. They have denied the accusations, saying they are part of a political conspiracy.
The Supreme Court allowed the release of Mr Kejriwal and other ministers on bail. Mr Kejriwal later relinquished the chief minister’s post to his most senior party leader, Atishi, who won her seat on Saturday.
Opposition parties widely condemned Mr Kejriwal’s arrest, accusing Mr Modi’s government of misusing federal investigation agencies to harass and weaken political opponents.
They pointed to several raids, arrests and corruption investigations of key opposition figures before the national election.
Mr Kejriwal formed the AAP in 2012 after tapping into public anger over corruption scandals. His pro-poor policies have focused on fixing state-run schools and providing cheap electricity, free health care and bus transport for women.
In 2020, the AAP won 62 out of 70 seats in a landslide victory in the last state legislature election, leaving the BJP with eight and the Congress party with none.
The BJP was voted out of power in Delhi in 1998 by the Congress party, which ran the government for 15 years.
