Cong home, BJP makes a quiet exit
When Smriti Irani congratulated Kapil Sibal for his victory in Chandni Chowk, she said this was ?only the beginning? for her. But what a tough beginning it was.
When Smriti Irani congratulated Kapil Sibal for his victory in Chandni Chowk immediately after the returning officer announced the final figures, she said this was “only the beginning” for her. But what a tough beginning it was.
Sibal gave TV’s favourite bahu a lesson or two in electoral politics, cornering a whopping 71 per cent of total votes polled as he won the seat for the Congress.
Sibal polled 33,575 votes from the dominant Muslim constituency of Matia Mahal. Irani scored only 4,375 there. In the Ballimaran area, Sibal garnered 33,956 votes while Irani polled 12,567. In Chandni Chowk the margin was 12,943 with Sibal bagging 26,186 and Irani polling 15,243 votes. At every round, the BJP tally did not go beyond four digits and Sibal kept touching five digit figures.
A win for secularism is how Sibal described his victory, soon after humbling BJP's Smriti Irani by a margin of 79,417 votes. "This kind of a victory is an additional burden because it shows the kind of expectations the people have from me," Sibal said.
Promises: Development Board for Walled City, modern transport system and parking facility, allowing staging of Ram Lila at the designated Ram Lila grounds.