As the BJP secures a significant victory in Haryana, showcasing an unexpected comeback, Arvind Kejriwal emphasized on Tuesday that the key takeaway from the election results is the importance of avoiding overconfidence.
Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), contesting alone on 89 seats, has not managed to win any in the state. The BJP is on track for a record third consecutive term, currently leading in 50 out of 90 seats, defying exit poll predictions.
The results in Haryana serve as a crucial reminder that one should never be overconfident in elections, Kejriwal remarked at a gathering of AAP municipal councilors. His comments were interpreted by many as a pointed critique of the Congress party, which had to abruptly halt its premature victory celebrations as the leads shifted in favor of the BJP.
Initially, the Congress surged to the front in the early hours of counting but eventually fell to second place. In contrast to the exit polls, the BJP not only maintained its lead but also extended the gap, remaining on course for a hat-trick win despite facing anti-incumbency challenges.
AAP candidates are trailing behind both BJP and Congress contenders in nearly all seats. No election should be taken lightly. Each election and each seat is challenging, Kejriwal advised. Previously, during his campaign in Haryana, Kejriwal had claimed that no government could be formed in the state without AAP’s backing.
Despite the setback in Haryana, AAP achieved a surprising victory in Jammu and Kashmir, where elections were held after a decade. Mehraj Malik, the party’s candidate who previously secured AAP’s first-ever electoral win in local body polls in 2020, clinched the Doda seat, taking it from the BJP. Historically, this seat has shifted between the National Conference and Congress since the first elections in 1962, though it was held by BJP’s Shakti Raj in 2014.
