THE NEW DELHI ASSEMBLY AAP BJP 22 48 ( 40) (▼40) ▲ VERDICT 2025 NEWDELHI,LATECITY FEBRUARY9,2025 20+4PAGES,`7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, ` 15SRINAGAR) DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM (▲▼) Change in seats from 2020 VOTE SHARE BJP 2025 45.56% AAP INC 43.57% 6.34% 2020 38.51% 53.57% 4.26% 2015 32.19% 54.34% 9.65% AAP OUSTED, CONG STUCK AT ZERO, VOTERS HAND OVER CAPITAL’S KEYS TO BJP AFTER 27 YEARS Aam aadmi verdict: BJP for Delhi Kejriwall crumbled: City falling apart, graft cloud, blame game... 5-fold jump in BJP seats: PM promises to build modern city MALLICA JOSHI, JATIN ANAND, GAYATHRI MANI & SAMAN HUSAIN BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 8 ENDING ITS 27-year exile from power in the national Capital and handing the ruling AAP a stunning defeat, the BJP swept the Delhi Assembly elections Saturday, bagging 48 of the 70 seats in the House. The remaining 22 seats went to AAP while the Congress drew a blank for the third time in a PrimeMinisterNarendraModi, BJP presidentJPNaddacelebratethevictoryatthepartyheadquartersonSaturday. Praveen Khanna CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Who will be Delhi CM? High stakes, many factors JATIN ANAND & GAYATHRI MANI NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 8 BALANCING GENDER, caste and community with experience, its visionofa“DelhibefittingthestatusofIndia'scapitalcity”andconsolidating, for the future, a politicalmandatethathaseludeditfor closetothreedecades—theseare thefactorsthatarelikelytoguide the BJP's decision while picking itsDelhiChiefMinister,according to party sources. According to sources, discussions on a potential CM began soon after the announcement of the party's final list of candidates in January, coinciding with the beginning of Prime Minister NarendraModi'spublic meetings CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 L-G vs CM: Now ‘double In 13 seats, Cong tally more engine’ on parallel tracks? than what AAP lost by APURVA VISHWANATH NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 8 ONE REFRAIN in the BJP’s election campaign in states hasbeen its rhetoric around the benefits of a “double engine” — the party in power in the state working with the NDA-ruled Centre. In Delhi, this rhetoric rings closer home to reality. Indeed, the BJP’s electoral victory Saturday sets the stage for easing of the prolonged legal tussle over the state’s “unique constitutional status” between the Centre and the former Aam Aadmi Party-led government. As it stands now, Article 239AA of the Constitution, keeps services, land, police and public orderoutof thecontrolof the elected government. While the pre-eminence of theLieutenantGovernor(L-G) was accepted in land, police and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ANJISHNU DAS & LALMANI VERMA NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 8 SEVERAL AAP stalwarts, including Arvind Kejriwal, lost by margins smaller than the votes secured by the Congress in their seats. In all, there were 13 such seats out of 70. Incidentally, the Congress failedtoopenitsaccountinDelhi for the third time in a row. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Kejriwal’s New Delhi seat was one of 13 where the AAP defeat margin was less than the votes for Congress. ANI The deserted AAP office in New Delhi on Saturday. Tashi Tobgyal MALLICA JOSHI & JATIN ANAND NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 8 IN APRIL 2024, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, his former deputy Manish Sisodia, former health minister Satyendar Jain, communicationsin-chargeVijayNair and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were in jail. The party’s toughestelectoralbattlewasjust 10 months away. Saturday’s results indicate the missing leadership had a more significant impact on the party than it let on. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 FULL COVERAGE PAGES 8-13