For the first time in 4 decades, all NCR states ruled by a single party

With the Bharatiya Janata Party's emphatic victory in the Delhi assembly elections on Sunday, the party at the Centre will also be governing all the National Capital Region (NCR) states-Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan-for the first time since 1985.

- Soumya Chatterjee

It is a region that spans 55,144 sq km and includes some of the country's largest and most important cities, such as Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad. Home to over 46 million people (according to the 2011 population census), NCR is one of India's most significant economic corridors.

Experts said this political alignment across NCR could help resolve contentious issues related to regional planning and administration. However, it also makes the BJP solely accountable for the region's challenges, including Delhi's water disputes with Haryana.

Jagan Shah, CEO of the Infravision Foundation and former director of the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), believes the election result presents a unique opportunity for resolving the interstate water issues.

"There are many issues, including those related to the environment and forests, that never got implemented because of tensions between different state governments," he said.