 "Kejriwal, Arvind Kejriwal")
New Delhi: AAP National Convener and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses AAP municipal councillors during the ‘Councillor meeting’, in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)
As the counting of votes for Haryana Assembly elections winds down, it is clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be forming a government, passing well over the 46-majority mark in the state. In light of this, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief Arvind Kejriwal addressed his municipal councillors in Delhi earlier today, saying this was a learning moment for the party. “Let us see what the results are in Haryana. The biggest lesson of this is that one should never be overconfident in the elections,” Kejriwal said.
BJP secures 50/90 seats in Haryana
The BJP secured 50 seats, while the Congress garnered 35. AAP however, secured none. Since its debut in the state’s elections in 2014, AAP has yet to win a seat. In 2019, the party had failed to secure a single vote in some instances.
In these elections, the AAP opted to contest independently in Haryana after unsuccessful attempts to form an alliance with the Congress party. The Congress was unwilling to concede nine seats to AAP. This led to the party fielding candidates 89 out of the 90 available seats.
AAP fails to impress Haryana voters
Despite efforts to garner support, AAP’s campaign faced significant hurdles. This was largely due to the absence of Kejriwal during the lead-up to the polls. However, following his release on bail in the Delhi liquor policy case on September 13, the party managed to gain momentum. Although it was arguably too late for the party to make a substantial impact on the voters, being months behind major parties like Congress and BJP.
Kejriwal held his first roadshow in Haryana on September 20, just weeks ahead of the elections. But it seems the effort was insufficient to sway public opinion in favour of the AAP. Throughout the campaign, he had asserted that no government could be formed in Haryana without AAP’s backing. Following the disappointing results, Kejriwal urged his party members to focus on the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February next year, emphasising the importance of local governance issues, such as garbage collection, to secure electoral success.
Swati Maliwal accuses AAP of cutting Congress’ votes
As the results of the elections began coming in, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal accused Kejriwal of ‘betraying’ the INDIA bloc and undermining Congress by splitting the vote. Her comments came as trends indicated the BJP was on track for its third consecutive win in Haryana.
Maliwal claimed that Kejriwal’s late entry into the campaign was driven by ‘revenge’ against Congress rather than genuine political strategy. In a post on X, she called for him to set aside his ego and prioritise the needs of the electorate.
“Leave aside everything, a candidate was fielded to defeat even Vinesh Phogat,” she added.
First Published: Oct 08 2024 | 4:54 PM IST
