Delhi government formation Latest Updates: Manoj Tiwari offers to quit after BJP scores in single digit in Assembly polls

Ex-Haryana CM  Bhupinder Singh Hooda calls for introspection over Congress’s Delhi polls performances

Former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday called for introspection at a national level following the party’s failure to secure a single seat in Delhi Assembly polls.

“In a democracy, I always respect the mandate of the people. Delhi elections results are a cause of concern that needs introspection at the national level. Congress should make a plan for the future,” said Congress leader at a press conference.

Hooda’s comments come after Kejriwal led AAP won 62 seats in the Delhi polls on Tuesday whereas Congress drew a blank. “Win and loss in the not the question here- how Congress has performed is the main cause of concern,” he added

After Delhi defeat, BJP recalibrates to highlighting Centre’s public welfare work

Hours after the BJP faced a stunning defeat in Delhi elections, all Union ministers received a letter from their Cabinet colleague and senior party leader Prakash Javadekar asking them to design a campaign to highlight the welfare work done by their respective ministries.

The information and broadcasting minister shot off the letter on Tuesday evening, asking all his ministerial colleagues to inform people about their ministry’s “public welfare work” through television, newspapers, outdoor and digital mediums between 15 February and 31 March.

The one-and-a-half-month-long campaign should be themed “Har Kaam Desh Ke Naam”, the letter stated. Javadekar urged the ministers to issue immediate directives to officials in this connection.

Congress party doesn’t have leader to project, says Kapil Sibal after party’s drubbing in Delhi polls

After his Congress’s drubbing in the Delhi Assembly polls, its leader Kapil Sabil on Wednesday said the party “does not have a leader to project”.  “We do not have a leader to project. This is the issue within the party. We will look into it and resolve it at earliest,” Sibal told ANI .

“This kind of polarised politics and the card for dividing society that is being played by the ministers of the BJP is not going down well with people of Delhi and India. You can see the reflection of that in results emerging in states like Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh,” Sibal said.

He further claimed that BJP will meet the “same fate like Delhi in Bihar Assembly polls,” scheduled to be held later this year.

‘Courtesy to congratulate winner’: PC Chacko responds to Sharmistha’s tweet

PC Chacko after resigning from Delhi’s Congress in-charge on Wednesday, responded to Sharmishtha Mukherjee tweet, saying; “I don’t want to comment on Sharmistha Mukherjee’s statement. It is a courtesy to congratulate the winner and we did that:”

Taking on Congress veteran P Chidambaram who welcomed the AAP win as “defeat of bluff and bluster”, Mukherjee in a tweet had asked the former minister if the state Congress units should shut shop in case the party had decided that others will take on the BJP across states.

Delhi election debacle more Amit Shah’s loss than Modi’s, says Shiv Sena

The BJP’s poor showing in the Delhi election is more of Amit Shah’s defeat than Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s, an editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana said on Wednesday, say multiple reports.

In party’s mouthpiece newspaper, the Sena noted that losing the Delhi Assembly polls after missing out on having a BJP chief minister in Mumbai would be “deeply hurting” Amit Shah. 

After stepping down from the post of BJP president, Shah wanted to secure at least one win for his party which has been losing elections in state Assemblies after its huge victory in the Lok Sabha polls, the Marathi daily said. Though JP Nadda was recently appointed the BJP president, the party’s campaign for the Delhi polls was steered by Amit Shah, it stated.

The editorial said: “Home minister Amit Shah had made Delhi election a matter of honour, not prime minister Narendra Modi. JP Nadda recently took over the reins of the party, but the real impresario was Amit Shah.

JP Nadda to hold meet with BJP members today

BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda is expected to hold a meeting with all the general secretaries of the party on Wednesday evening at the party headquarters in Delhi, reports ANI.

Though the BJP only won 8 seat, it had marginally improved its tally of seats from three to eight. The AAP, with its vote share of 53.6 percent, fell short of its 2015 Delhi Assembly polls tally (54 percent), while the BJP bagged its second best of 38.5 percent, six percent more than last time.

Congratulations, now make Hanuman Chalisa mandatory in all schools, says BJP’s Vijayvargiya

BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Wednesday congratulated AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal for the landslide victory in the Delhi elections but he also took a jibe at him, asking for Hanuman Chalisa to be introduced in all educational institutions of Delhi.

Earlier last week, the Kejriwal had said his reciting the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ has hurt leaders of the BJP and alleged that the saffron party had been mocking him ever since he recited the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ on a TV channel.

Cabinet to also take oath on Sunday, says Manish Sisodia

AAP leader Manish Sisodia, addressing media a day after his party thumping victory in the Delhi assembly election, credited the win to the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal government’s track record on development and providing services. He also said that all cabinet ministers would be also be sworn in on Sunday, along with newly elected legislative leader Kejriwal. 

The AAP government’s work has been acknowledged, Sisodia said, adding: “Real nationalism is providing water and education to poor.”

Eight newly-elected BJP MLAs to meet Manoj Tiwari today

The eight newly-elected BJP legislators are expected to meet Delhi party unit chief Manoj Tiwari in Delhi on Wednesday evening. The eight BJP MLAs are — Vijender Gupta (Rohini), Mohan Singh Bisht (Karawal Nagar), Jitender Mahajan (Rohtas Nagar), Ajay Mahawar (Ghonda), Anil Kumar Bajpai (Gandhi Nagar), Abhay Verma (Laxmi Nagar), Om Prakash Sharma (Vishwas Nagar) and Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (Badarpur).

The ruling AAP galloped to a landslide victory by winning 62 of the 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections in the face of a high-voltage campaign by the BJP, which fielded a battery of Union Ministers and Chief Ministers in its electioneering, spearheaded by Home Minister Amit Shah. The BJP marginally improved its tally, managing just eight seats from its 2015’s tally of three seats.

PC Chako quits as Delhi’s Congress in-charge

CNN-New18, PC Chako quits as Delhi’s Congress in-charge after the party’s poor performance in polls on Wednesday. This comes a day after party’s Delhi unit chief Subhash Chopra also resigned after taking responsibility for the dismal electoral show.

The grand old party accepted defeat in the Delhi Assembly polls and vowed to rebuild and revive itself at the grassroots level in the National Capital. The party, which ruled Delhi for 15 years, suffered a major loss in the third consecutive Assembly election since 2013 as did not have a known figure who could replace three-time Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit who died last year in July.

Newly-elected AAP MLAs elect Kejriwal as leader of legislative party 

The newly-elected MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party have officially elected Arvind Kejriwal as the leader of the AAP’s legislative party, following which he will stake claim to form the government in Delhi. He will be taking oath on Sunday as Delhi chief minister. 

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party has won 62 out of 70 seats. The AAP’s stupendous victory comes nearly eight months after it suffered a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls in which the party drew a blank while the BJP won all seven seats.

On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) marginally improved its tally of seats from three to eight. The AAP, with its vote share of 53.6 percent, fell short of its 2015 Delhi Assembly polls tally (54 percent), while the BJP bagged its second best of 38.5 percent, six percent more than last time.

AAP strolls to win as BJP’s polarisation bid fails; voters bucking national trend should make saffron party introspect

Though a stroll in the park for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was expected, with exit polls predicting it would win between 44 and 68 seats, the fact that it has, in fact, won over 60 of the Legislative Assembly’s 70 seats, reducing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a single-digit tally (seven) for a second successive time

BJP’s record in state elections now looks distinctly iffy. Just before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it lost three states — Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan — to the Congress. It stormed back in 2019 cashing in on the issue of national security, which gained salience after the Pulwama attack and India’s bombing of Balakot. This added a nationalistic constituency to the party’s core Hindutva base and helped it cross the 300 mark in the Lok Sabha.

The Delhi election throws up several conclusions. For one, it reinforces an electoral trend that has seen voters buck the national trend and vice-versa. In 2019, they bucked the trend of the end-of-the-year elections in 2018, to give the BJP and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) a huge mandate. In 2019, and now in four elections, they have bucked the 2019 national mandate to severely erode the BJP’s numbers.

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Sonia Gandhi, Venkaiah Naidu congratulate AAP chief for landslide victory in polls

Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi and Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu called Arvind Kejriwal to congratulate him for AAP’s performance in the Delhi Assembly elections, reported news agency ANI.

Why are we gloating over AAP win but not concerned about Congress defeat, Sharmistha asks P Chidambaram 

A day after the party’s rout in Delhi elections, the knives are out in the Congress with its leader Sharmishtha Mukherjee asking if the party had outsourced the task of defeating the BJP to others.

Taking on Congress veteran P Chidambaram who welcomed the AAP win as “defeat of bluff and bluster”, Mukherjee in a tweet asked the former minister if the state Congress units should shut shop in case the party had decides that others will take on the BJP across states.

Sharmishtha is the daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, who has been a Congress leader all his life.

Chidambaram, the former finance minister, had welcomed the AAP victory in Delhi polls, saying “AAP won, bluff and bluster lost. The people of Delhi, who are from all parts of India, have defeated the polarising, divisive and dangerous agenda of the BJP. I salute the people of Delhi who have set an example to other states that will hold their elections in 2021 and 2022.

Arvind Kejriwal meets Delhi’s L-G 

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal at the Raj Niwas on Wednesday, a day after he scripted a spectacular victory sweeping the Delhi polls. The meeting lasted for around 15 minutes. Sources said the two discussed the oath-taking ceremony which could take place over the weekend.

As per procedure, Kejriwal is also likely to tender his resignation to pave the way for his fresh swearing-in as the chief minister, which according to ANI is slated to be held on this Sunday, 12 February. 

Kejriwal will also hold a meeting with the newly elected Aam Aadmi Party MLAs. The legislators will then elect him as the leader of the legislature party, following which he will stake claim to form government.

AAP chief arrives at Raj Niwas to meet Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal

Arvind Kejriwal to take oath as chief minister of Delhi on Sunday

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi on 16 February, Sunday at Ramlila Maidan, reports ANI.

Delhi Police arrests accused, say shooter had personal enmity with volunteer

Delhi Police on Wednesday said that the accused gunman who shot at AAP MLA Naresh Yadav’s envoy on Tuesday night has been arrested. “It is a case of personal enmity and it has nothing to do with politics. Further investigation is underway.” the police said. 

But according to India Today reports, four people have been arrested by the Delhi Police. Three accused have been identified as Kalu, Dhami and Dev who are residents of Kishangarh village. The AAP worker who was killed in the shooting was also a resident of the same village.

The main accused Kalu told the police that he had not come to attack the AAP MLA but to attack party volunteer Ashok Mann and his nephew Harendra due to personal enmity. He also alleged that Ashok Mann had attacked his nephew in the past.

AAP’s focus on governance issues trumped BJP’s polarisation bid, says Shiv Sena in mouthpiece ‘Saamana’

The Shiv Sena on Wednesday said​ Aam Aadmi Party’s campaign designed around the works done by it won it a landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly polls while the BJP’s “polarisation attempt” failed to click with voters of the National Capital.

The Shiv Sena praised Delhi Chief Minister and AAP president Arvind Kejriwal, saying he single-handedly took on the “army of BJP leaders”, including chief ministers and central leaders, and successfully showcased the works done by his government in fields like education and health.

“This is rare as elections in India are generally contested on sentimental issues,” an editorial in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party took a dig at former ally BJP, saying the Aam Aadmi Party’s win indicated the defeat of arrogance and the attitude of “what we say is rule”.

Losing the Delhi Assembly polls and a Shiv Sena chief minister in the country’s financial capital Mumbai (Maharashtra) would be “deeply hurting” Union Home Minister​ Amit Shah, who wanted to secure at least one victory for the​ BJP after stepping down as its national president, it said.

NOTA constitutes 0.5 percent of total votes polled

Over 43,000 votes in the just-concluded Delhi Assembly polls were cast in the None of the Above (NOTA) category, according to official figures released on Tuesday. Counting of votes were held on Tuesday after the elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly.

The election, largely seen as a battle between the AAP and the BJP, was held on Saturday, sealing the fate of 672 candidates — 593 men and 79 women.

The final voter turnout was 62.59 percent, five percent less than 2015. The votes polled under NOTA category — 43,108 — constituted about 0.5 percent of total votes polled, as per the figures released by the Election Commission on its website.

New Delhi Legislative Assembly to have 16 first-time MLAs, all from AAP

The new Delhi Legislative Assembly will have 16 first-time MLAs, all from the Aam Aadmi Party, including Atishi, Raghav Chadha and Dilip Pandey. Atishi, who was fielded from Kalkaji, won the seat by defeating BJP candidate Dharambir Singh by a margin of 11,393 votes. She unsuccessfully contested the ​Lok Sabha elections last year from the East Delhi constituency against BJP’s Gautam Gambhir.

Chadha, who had also registered victory from Rajinder Nagar, defeated his BJP rival Sardar R P Singh by a margin of 20,058 votes. He too had contested from the South Delhi Lok Sabha seat but lost to BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri.

Pandey, who also unsuccessfully contested from the Northeast Delhi Lok Sabha seat in 2019, won the Timarpur seat by a margin of over 24,000 votes.

Arvind Kejriwal to meet Delhi governor today

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal to meet Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal today morning. Later today he is expected to hold a meeting with the newly-elected party MLAs at his residence. 

After the selection of the Legislature Party leader, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal will be apprised of it. Thereafter, a notification will be issued.

The Governor dissolved the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday. “Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday dissolved the Sixth Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from 11 February.” the official said. “A new order will be issued for the formation of the Seventh Legislative Assembly after the final results come,” the official added.

Transformation of Kejriwal from a ‘combative CM’ to a statesmanlike leader has ensured this third term

In the run up to the Delhi elections, a reporter asked Arvind Kejriwal why he hadn’t visited Shaheen Bagh. “What will I do there?” he replied. “I am the chief minister of Delhi. I have been elected to preside over the state’s education, electricity, health, roads and so on.”

This was a stark departure from the Kejriwal of November 2016, who had reached the police station in Mayapuri to ensure the release of Fatima, mother of Jawaharlal Nehru University’s missing student Najeeb Ahmad, or the Kejriwal of 2018 who sat on a dharna protesting against the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

The transformation of Kejriwal from a combative chief minister at the start of his second term to a more statesmanlike leader towards the end of it is as obvious as daylight. But it has been a critical factor in ensuring he gets a third term as the Chief Minister of Delhi.

Did Delhi election results redefine communalism, secularism or is it a simple case of Kejriwal regaining power for his great work?

What does the BJP’s loss in Delhi mean? Is it that the Hindutva platform of hate has no takers? Is it that Hindutva pales before ‘real’ vikas? Is it that a majority of the voters of Delhi are not communal? How should one assess Kejriwal’s thumping victory in broader political terms? There are no clear answers.

But there seem to have been two strands to the AAP’s strategy. The first is that of projecting the positive governance model of the AAP. The second strand seemed to avoid engaging in communal talk, steering largely clear of the Shaheen Bagh protests, and not making any specific references to the Muslim community.

Delhi Police register FIR in connection to last night’s shooting incident

The Delhi Police on Wednesday registered an FIR in connection with the firing incident at AAP MLA Naresh Yadav’s convoy and said that all angles are being probed. Delhi Police said that investigation is on and working “on all angles” to find out the motive behind firing the shots at Naresh Yadav’s convoy.  The MLA urged the police to thoroughly check the CCTV footage to identify the assailants who shot at his convoy.

Arvind Kejriwal 2.0 set to be a more potent force

As Arvind Kejriwal completes a hattrick of wins to retain chief ministership of Delhi, the stage is set for Aam Admi Party supremo to pitchfork himself again as Narendra Modi’s national alternative. This time, however, we may see a different approach from Kejriwal. Past defeats have chastened the politician but also honed his survival instincts. Kejriwal’s ambition has not lessened, only made sharper by experience. To understand why such a trajectory is inevitable, we need to look closely at his political graph.

Police investigation reveals AAP MLA was not the target of the shooting

Southwest Additional DCP Ingit Pratap Singh told ANI that investigation into the firing on the convoy of AAP MLA, Naresh Yadav last night so far has revealed that there was one assailant. Naresh Yadav wasn’t the target but the assailant had specifically come to target the AAP worker,  Ashok Mann, who was shot dead.

Police should check CCTV footage to identify the attackers, says AAP MLA Naresh Yadav

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Naresh Yadav on Wednesday said that police should thoroughly check the CCTV footage to identify the assailants who shot at his convoy.

“The incident is really unfortunate. I do not know the reason behind the attack but it happened all of a sudden. Around 4 rounds were fired. The vehicle I was in was attacked. I am sure if Police inquires properly, they will be able to identify the assailant,” Naresh Yadav, AAP MLA said.

Asserting that he could have been killed, AAP MLA said, “Two people were shot in which Ashok Man Ji has died and Harender Ji was injured. I do not know whether they attacked me in particular but they certainly targeted our convoy. Anybody could have been shot in this attack including me.

AAP MLAs to meet at Kejriwal’s residence today to pick legislature party leader

Meanwhile, the AAP’s stupendous victory on Tuesday comes nearly eight months after it suffered a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls in which the party drew a blank while the BJP won all seven seats.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal has called a meeting of the party’s newly-elected MLAs at his residence here on Wednesday, senior party leader Gopal Rai said. At the meeting scheduled at 11.30 am, the MLAs will choose the AAP’s Legislature Party leader, Rai told PTI on Tuesday.

Another AAP leader said the party was considering two dates for the chief minister’s oath-taking ceremony — 14 and 16 February. The Ramlila Maidan was being considered as the probable venue for the ceremony, he said, adding that a grand event was being planned.

However, the final call regarding the venue was yet to be taken, the AAP leader said. After the selection of the Legislature Party leader, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal will be apprised of it. Thereafter, a notification will be issued.

AAP, Anikt Lal tweet about incident

“Shots fired at AAP MLA @MLA_NareshYada and the volunteers accompanying him while they were on way back from the temple. At least one volunteer has passed away due to bullet wounds. Another is injured,” the AAP said in a tweet.

Ankit Lal, AAP’s social media in-charge tweeted: “Multiple shots were fired at AAP MLA @MLA_NareshYadav & @AamAadmiParty volunteers accompanying him to his home in Mehrauli after visiting a temple as part of victory procession. Miscreants in another car opened fire near Fortis. 1 dead and 1 injured. Police is at the spot.”

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Seven rounds fires at MLA’s convoy, says police

According to sources, seven rounds were fired at the Mehrauli MLA’s convoy. A person injured in the incident was admitted to a  nearby hospital, police said.

In a tweet, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh claimed party volunteer Ashok Mann was killed in the attack. “Convoy of MLA Naresh Yadav attacked in Mehrauli, Ashok Mann killed. Naresh Yadav was returning home after visiting a temple,” Singh said in a tweet in Hindi.

Shots fired at AAP MLA’s convoy in Delhi, one killed late last night

A person was killed after some unidentified people opened fire at AAP MLA Naresh Yadav’s convoy in southwest Delhi’s Kishangarh village on late Tuesday night, police said.

The newly-elected MLA along with his supporters was returning home after paying obeisance at a temple in his constituency, the police said.