Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been completely crushed by the upstart anti-corruption campaigner Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the noteworthy election to the Delhi assembly. Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s last chief minister who quit in Feb 2014 after a short stint, is expected to reclaim the post as his AAP pulled off a landslide win – vanquishing both its national rivals, the ruling BJP as well as the main opposition Congress Party.
The defeat is the biggest setback for the ambitious Narendra Modi since his BJP swept to power in the country last year. The BJP has won fewer seats than even the exit polls predicted and is unlikely to make the double-digits in the 70-member Delhi assembly. The BJP’s chief ministerial aspirant, as well as that of the Congress, are are headed to certain defeat.
The elections were a bitter fight between the BJP and the AAP, with the Congress appearing to be half-hearted in the contest. The Congress annihilation has been worse than expected -- it may fail to win a single seat -- bringing to question its effectiveness as the prime opposition party to the ruling BJP at the national level.
The results will have ramifications not just on the politics but also the economic thinking of Narendra Modi’s party as it prepares to present the country’s national budget in end February. The outcome will be a dent on the image of Prime Minister Modi. The results could be an indication that Indians are getting impatient with the Modi government, even as it approaches the first of its five-year term, and that citizens want the government to act decisively and deliver on its promises.
A billboard advertising the Aam Aadmi Party, its chief ministerial probable Arvind Kejriwal and its... [+]
