People of Delhi voted for Legislative Assembly election on 8/2/2020 and results were declared on 11/2/2020. Out of 70 seats, AAP won 62 and BJP won 8.
Compared to Lok Sabha elections 2019 it was a setback for BJP which had won all 7 Lok Sabha seats and Congress which had finished second in 5 Lok Sabha seats. Compared to Legislative Assembly elections 2015 it was 5 seat loss for AAP, 5 seat gain for BJP and no loss and no gain for Congress.
It was a relief for AAP which had failed to form government in any state after 2015. It got 20 seats in Punjab and no seat in Goa, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. For BJP it was a setback after losing Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
It was consolidation of reputation for poll strategist Prashant Kishor. He was successful from 2014 onwards with different parties which heeded his advice. Congress did not heed his advice in UP election and lost. This time he was with AAP and AAP won.
Arvind Kejriwal changed over the years. He gave up confrontation with BJP in general and Narendra Modi in particular. He did not join protests against CAA, NRC and NPR. He did not join Shaheen Bagh protestors. He talked about the work his government had done over the years and demanded votes on that basis. Reduction in electricity bill, free water supply up to 20,000 litres per month, free bus rides for women, mohalla clinics, improvement in government schools and not allowing arbitrary hike in fees in private schools were issues on which he fought. He did not respond to personal attacks by BJP leaders. Prakash Javadekar called him a terrorist. He left it to people of Delhi to decide.
BJP tried to make nationalism an issue. One slogan was to shoot the traitors. They talked against Shaheen Bagh protestors. It is debatable whether that benefitted BJP. Some feel it cost BJP while others feel without it they would not have got even 8 seats.
Congress leaders like P. Chidambaram are jubilant that BJP lost in Delhi while some others are unhappy that Congress lost. Sheila Dikshit had died on 20/7/2019. Congress fought election on the basis of performance of her government for 15 years. She had nothing to do with this election. After election results P. C. Chacko blamed her for loss. That did not go down well with some Congress leaders. Latika Dikshit, daughter of Sheila Dikshit, asked how his conscience allowed him to say things like this for a person who has passed away. Pawan Khera who was an aide to Sheila Dikshit said in 2015 when Sheila Dikshit was not involved Congress vote share was 9.7%. In 2019 when she was in charge it was 22.46%. In 2015 it was Legislative Assembly election. In 2019 it was Lok Sabha election. Now Congress vote share is 4.26%.
Unlike 2015 when AAP government swearing-in was on 14 February this time it is on 16 February. It is another change in Arvind Kejriwal for whom 14 February was significant and had resigned on 14/2/2014.
LPG cylinder prices were revised on 1st of every month. This time the revision was on 12/2/2020, after Delhi election result. Price was up by Rs.144.50.
P C Chacko never deserved the post he held in Delhi. But the Congress is a thorough loser anyway without any worthwhile leader.
AAP deserved the victory.