Atishi Wins Kalkaji, Saving Grace as AAP Giants Lose

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

1. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has retained her Kalkaji Assembly seat.
2. Atishi defeated her BJP rival Ramesh Bidhuri by over 900 votes.
3. Top leaders from AAP, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, suffered defeats.
4. Atishi’s victory is a consolation prize for AAP.
5. There was a sharp war of words between Atishi and Bidhuri in Kalkaji.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has retained her Kalkaji Assembly seat. According to the Election Commission, she defeated her BJP rival Ramesh Bidhuri by over 900 votes in a stiff contest. Atishi took over the top job after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal resigned months ahead of the election amid corruption charges. She won from Kalkaji in her debut election in 2020 by a margin of 11,393 votes. This Delhi Election result is very significant.

Atishi’s victory is a consolation prize for AAP, whose top leaders, including Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, suffered defeats in their respective constituencies. While Kejriwal lost the high-prestige New Delhi to Parvesh Verma, Sisodia was defeated by Tarvinder Singh Marwah from Jangpura, Saurabh Bhardwaj from Greater Kailash, Durgesh Pathak from Rajinder Nagar, Somnath Bharti from Malviya Nagar and Satyendar Jain from Shakurbasti. Amidst the defeat of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, Atishi’s win is a ray of hope.

The three-way contest in Kalkaji, with the third heavyweight being Congress’s Alka Lamba, saw high-octane campaigning from the AAP and the BJP.

The lead-up to the polls was marked by a sharp war of words between Atishi and Bidhuri.

Bidhuri, a three-time Delhi MLA, stoked a row after he raked up Atishi’s decision to stop using her surname “Marlena”. “Marlena has become Singh. She has changed her father. She was Marlena earlier, but has become Singh now,” Bidhuri said while campaigning in Kalkaji. Atishi called the behaviour reprehensible.

Atishi, responding to Bidhuri’s remarks, broke down during a press conference and accused the BJP leader of “seeking votes by abusing” her father.

Atishi, who started as an education adviser, worked closely with Sisodia to usher in educational reforms in the national capital.

Her challenger, Bidhuri, is known for his organisational abilities and rapport with South Delhi’s rural communities. Bidhuri, who rose up the BJP ladder after being a student leader, has been Lok Sabha MP from South Delhi twice. All eyes were on the Delhi Election result.

Bidhuri served as the BJP district president between 1997 and 2003 before being appointed as the vice president of the party between 2003 and 2008. He has also been a three-time MLA from Delhi’s Tughlakabad.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember

Atishi wins from Kalkaji, a lone win amid AAP giants’ defeats. Atishi defeated BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri. This Delhi Election (Delhi Election) has been a mixed bag for AAP.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

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