Delhi elections: Key strongholds that AAP managed to retain amid BJP’s landslide win

The results of the Delhi assembly elections were declared Saturday (February 8), which sent shockwaves among the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The party, which has been ruling India’s national capital territory for over a decade, was dethroned by PM Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

In the 70-seat assembly, AAP managed to secure a mere 22, conceding the rest to the saffron party.

However, despite its crushing defeat, former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s party managed to secure an impressive vote share of 44 per cent, reflecting that it still wielded influence in certain pockets of Delhi.

Let’s have a closer look.

AAP swept Muslim, Scheduled Caste-dominated areas

In Delhi’s Muslim-dominated regions, the AAP candidates secured comfortable victories.

Chandni Chowk, Matia Mahal, Babarpur, Seelampur, Okhla, and Ballimaran saw the BJP biting the dust.  However, the AAP lost the Mustafabad seat.

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In the 2020 assembly elections, AAP had staged massive victories on all seven seats.

Even this year, Muslims in Delhi have supported AAP over other options such as Congress and Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM).

AAP’s candidate from Seelampur, Zubair Ahmad, defeated BJP’s Anil Sharma by a margin of 42,477 votes.

In Babarpur, AAP’s Gopal Rai prevailed over BJP’s Anil Kumar Vashisht.

In Okhla, AAP’s Amanatullah Khan emerged victorious against BJP’s Manish Chaudhary.

Across these constituencies, support from Muslims as well as people from Scheduled Caste played a key role in AAP’s dominance.

Of 12 Scheduled Caste (SC)-reserved constituencies, AAP triumphed on eight, reflecting the party’s better outreach.

Notably, the Muslim community is 1.55 crore strong in Delhi, representing the city’s 13 per cent population.

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Regions that voted for AAP

Even as AAP faced a wipeout in West and North Delhi, it put up a strong face in Central, Northeast, and South Delhi.

In Central Delhi, AAP won constituencies such as Patel Nagar, Karol Bagh, Sadar Bazar, Ballimaran, Matia Mahal, and Chandni Chowk.

In Northeast and East Delhi, AAP secured victories in Seelampur, Babarpur, Gokalpur, Seemapuri, and Kondli.

South Delhi too emerged as an AAP stronghold, with victories in Kalkaji, Okhla, Tughlaqabad, Badarpur, Deoli, and Ambedkar Nagar.

(With inputs from agencies)