Delhi polls: BJP wins Jangpura due to Modi, weak AAP, INDIA bloc split
In a close contest, AAP's Manish Sisodia lost Jangpura to BJP's Tarvinder Singh Marwah by just 675 votes, marking a significant political upset.
For a decade, Jangpura had been among AAP’s safest seats in Delhi, with winning margins exceeding 20,000 votes for two straight terms. On Saturday, it turned into a nail-biting prestige battle that ended in defeat for former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, losing to BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah by just 675 votes in what became the constituency’s closest-ever contest.
For Sisodia, who was shifted from Patparganj in what appeared to be a search for safer ground, the defeat proved particularly bitter. Having narrowly won Patparganj in 2020 after trailing for several rounds, he seemed set for a repeat performance when he overcame a first-round deficit to lead by about 2,348 votes until the sixth round. However, Marwah began closing the gap from round seven, maintaining a slender lead until the end.
At the end of 10 rounds of counting, Marwah secured 38,859 votes against Sisodia’s 38,184.
The writing was on the wall even before the final numbers came in. A visibly upset Sisodia left the counting centre early, later telling reporters: “The party workers fought well. We all did hard work. People have supported us as well. But I lost by around 600 votes. I congratulate the candidate who won. I hope he will work for the constituency.” He added that the party would introspect and analyse the possible reasons behind the defeat.
Known for its sharp contrasts - from the affluent enclaves of Nizamuddin East to middle-class Jangpura Extension and dense JJ clusters along railway tracks - the constituency presents a complex electoral challenge. Its commercial powerhouses of Lajpat Nagar and Bhogal draw daily crowds far exceeding the 147,785 registered voters, while residents grapple with issues ranging from urban management in upscale areas to basic amenities in informal settlements.
Marwah’s victory marked a personal comeback in Jangpura’s political circles. A three-term Congress MLA from the seat between 1998 and 2013, he had previously lost a close contest in 2013 by just 1,744 votes before switching to the BJP in 2022. “They spared no efforts. Kejriwal came to the constituency five times, Atishi seven times and Bhagwan Mann was practically camping here in Delhi — in attempts to campaign for Sisodia,” he told HT, attributing what he said would have been an even larger margin without AAP’s intensive campaigning to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for Delhi.
Local residents point to two key factors behind AAP’s defeat. Bhogal resident Naveet Wahi, 32, cited growing discontent with outgoing two-term AAP MLA Praveen Kumar. “We never saw Kumar on ground and even though people voted for AAP in large numbers in both 2015 and 2020, little on-ground work was visible,” he said.
Kumar’s absence was particularly noticeable given his comfortable victories - margins of over 20,000 votes in 2015 and 29,000 in 2020. AAP’s decision to replace him with Sisodia came without explanation.
The second factor was the INDIA bloc parties fighting separately. Congress candidate and former Delhi mayor Farhad Suri secured 7,324 votes, potentially splitting the anti-BJP vote in what proved to be the constituency’s closest-ever contest.
Marwah has promised to focus on local infrastructure issues. “There are broken roads and sewer lines are choked. I will also work to provide clean water to the people,” he said.
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