Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party won elections in the sprawling metropolis of Delhi for the first time in 27 years on Saturday, ousting one of his most vocal detractors in a much-needed boost after losing its national majority last year.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 48 seats in the capital territory’s 70-member assembly, according to Indian Election Commission data posted online.
“Development wins, good governance triumphs,” Modi wrote in a post on X. “I bow to my dear sisters and brothers of Delhi for this resounding and historic mandate.”
Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), one of Modi’s most vocal opponents and former Delhi chief minister, won only 22 seats.
“We accept the people’s mandate with great humility.” “I congratulate the BJP on their victory, and I hope they keep all of the promises for which people voted,” Kejriwal said in a video statement.
Delhi, a large city of almost 20 million people, faces major challenges such as access to housing and severe levels of air pollution, which cloak the city in hazardous haze for months each year.
The capital has long been a stumbling barrier for the BJP electoral juggernaut, which has swept across much of India during the last decade, with the party last in power there in 1998.
The AAP, which emerged from a popular anti-corruption movement, has ruled the city, which houses India’s parliament and administrative buildings, since 2015.
Kejriwal was arrested just before the April general elections last year on graft charges that he and his party claimed were ordered by the BJP, a claim that Modi’s government has always disputed.
The US State Department later enraged Modi’s regime by urging authorities to facilitate a fair legal procedure for Kejriwal.
Modi became the first leader since Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s founding prime minister, to win a third term in the massive national elections last year. However, voters provided an unexpected result, reducing the BJP’s majority in the national parliament, and the party now rules the country of 1.4 billion people as part of a coalition.
