Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party won elections in the sprawling megacity of Delhi for the first time in 27 years on Saturday, defeating one of his most prominent critics in a much-needed boost after losing its national majority last year.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 48 seats in the capital territory’s 70-member assembly, according to figures posted online by the Indian Election Commission.
“Development wins, good governance triumphs,” said Modi in a post on X. “I bow to my dear sisters and brothers of Delhi for this resounding and historic mandate.”
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of Arvind Kejriwal, one of Modi’s most prominent opponents and former chief minister of the capital, won just 22 seats.
“We accept the mandate of the people with great humility. I congratulate the BJP for this victory, and I hope they will fulfil all the promises for which people have voted them,” Kejriwal said in a video statement.
Delhi, a sprawling city of some 20 million people, faces huge issues like access to housing and high levels of air pollution that blanket the city in toxic smog for months each year.
The capital has long been a stumbling block for the BJP electoral juggernaut, which has rolled across much of India over the past decade, with the party last holding power there in 1998.
The AAP, which grew out of a popular anti-corruption movement, has governed the capital – home to India’s parliament and government buildings – since 2015.
Just before general elections in April last year, Kejriwal was arrested on graft charges that he and his party said were ordered by the BJP, something Modi’s government has long denied.
The US State Department later angered Modi’s government by calling on authorities to ensure a fair legal process for Kejriwal.
Modi won a third term at last year’s mammoth general elections, becoming the first leader since India’s founding prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to secure such a feat. But voters delivered a shock result that reduced the BJP’s majority in the national parliament, and the party now governs the country of 1.4 billion people as part of a coalition.
