SHIFTING SANDS

Political equations in the city appear to have changed after the Lok Sabha poll results. Once bitter rivals, the AAP and Congress had joined forces in Delhi against BJP but failed to clinch even a single seat. The allies then precluded any truck with each other for the next year's assembly polls. Meanwhile, after sweeping the elections in the capital, the BJP is confident of romping to power. Our Delhi City team explores the shifting political equations and strategies ahead of the state elections.

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THE Lok Sabha elections have concluded, and Delhi's public has spoken. The BJP has secured a clean sweep, winning all seven of the capital's seats for a third straight time. While political outfits in the rest of the country have ample time to introspect and chart out their future plan, Delhi's political class must hurry, as the assembly elections will likely be held in January 2025.

After the pact between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) failed to win a single seat, the parties decided against having a truck with each other in the upcoming assembly elections. Meanwhile, the BJP is confident of clinching power in Delhi for the first time since 1998.

AAP CHOOSES SOLO PATH

Despite an alliance between INDIA bloc partners AAP and Congress -- in Delhi for recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which had swept the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, retained its performance for the third consecutive time as its candidates won from all seven Parliamentary seats in the national capital.

The BJP defeated INDIA bloc candidates with huge margins amid anticipation of a tough fight from the opposition. Speculation of AAP and Congress joining hands for the Assembly polls was rife when senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister Gopal Rai categorically said that the party would go solo in the election. He said the alliance with the grand old party was formed for Parliamentary polls only, and the AAP will fight the election from its full strength. "This is clear from the first day that the INDIA alliance was formed for Lok Sabha elections.

As far as Vidhan Sabha is concerned, no alliance has been formed. AAP will fight elections with its full strength," Rai said after a party MLA meeting at CM Arvind Kejriwal's residence.