As the BJP scored a massive win in Delhi, improving its tally by nearly 40 seats, five key leaders of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a crushing defeat. These include AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal, the party’s Number 2 Manish Sisodia and prominent minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.
Here are the AAP’s key leaders who lost out
Arvind Kejriwal: The national convener of the AAP, Mr Kejriwal entered politics with a message of change after the anti-corruption movement against the UPA government. First sworn as Chief Minister for a short duration in 2013, he led AAP to thumping victories in the 2015 and 2020 elections. He was arrested last year in a corruption case linked to Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy. On being granted bail, Mr Kejriwal quit as Chief Minister and said he would return to the post only after the “people’s court” gave a verdict in his favour. He lost to BJP’s Parvesh Verma in New Delhi.
Manish Sisodia: Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister and the Number 2 leader in AAP, Mr Sisodia has lost to BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah in Jangpura. A three-time MLA from east Delhi’s Patparganj, he had switched to Jangpura for this election. Mr Sisodia was arrested in a corruption case linked to the liquor policy in 2023 and spent nearly one-and-a-half years in jail before he got bail. Like Mr Kejriwal, he too had refused to take up a seat in the government before the “people’s verdict”.
Saurabh Bharadwaj: A prominent AAP leader, Mr Bhardwaj won the Greater Kailash seat thrice in 2013, but lost out to BJP’s Shikha Roy this time. A minister in the Delhi government, he handled multiple portfolios including home, power and water supply. His seat was being seen as a safe seat for AAP, but the BJP managed to turn the tables.
Durgesh Pathak: A member of AAP’s top bodies, the political affairs committee and national executive, Mr Pathak lost to BJP’s Umang Bajaj in Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar seat. Mr Pathak won the seat in 2022 in a by-election. He was renominated this time, but lost.
Satyendra Jain: Top AAP leader and former Delhi minister Satyendra Jain has lost in Delhi’s Shakur Basti seat, which he represented twice in a row. A cabinet minister in the Arvind Kejriwal government, Mr Jain was arrested in 2022 in a corruption case. He lost to BJP’s Karnail Singh.
