This story is from April 13, 2017

BJP wins Delhi's Rajouri Garden bypoll, AAP candidate loses deposit

SAD candidate Manjinder Singh Sirsa who fought the bypoll on BJP ticket has won Delhi's Rajouri Garden assembly seat with 40,602 votes while the Congress retained the second position with 25,950 votes. With mere 10,243 votes, the AAP has lost its deposit.
BJP wins Delhi's Rajouri Garden bypoll, AAP candidate loses deposit
SAD candidate Manjinder Singh Sirsa who fought the bypoll on BJP ticket has won Delhi's Rajouri Garden assembly seat with 40,602 votes while the Congress retained the second position with 25,950 votes. With mere 10,243 votes, the AAP has lost its deposit.
Key Highlights
  • BJP has won Rajouri Garden seat with 40,602 votes while Congress retained second position with 25,950 votes
  • With 10,243 votes, which is less than the required 1/6th of the total votes, AAP has lost its deposit
  • The voting on this seat was held on April 9 and had witnessed only 47% of voter turnout
NEW DELHI: Sweeping up the Rajouri Garden assembly constituency, Akali Dal candidate Manjinder Singh Sirsa who fought the bypoll on BJP ticket won by a margin of more than 14,000 votes on Thursday.
BJP won the seat with 40,602 votes while Congress retained second position with 25,950 votes and AAP got 10,243 votes in the bypoll. BJP maintained its lead in all the 17 rounds of counting.
The voting which was held on April 9 witnessed only 47% of voter turnout, which was very low compared to previous elections. In 2015 assembly elections, voter turnout was about 72%. In 2013 assembly elections, the voter turnout was 68%.
BJP MP Parvesh Verma, who arrived at the counting centre at Hari Nagar with supporters to cheer up party workers, told TOI: "AAP has lost its deposit in the elections. People have voted for Narendra Modi policies."
Manjinder Singh Sirsa, BJP candidate, said people have outrightly rejected AAP. "We will repeat the success in the upcoming municipal elections," he said.
Since morning when counting began, BJP workers started gathering outside the counting centre to witness the process. With the BJP taking significant lead after seven rounds of counting, party workers started celebrations.
Delhi Rajouri Garden Bypoll Results-infographic-TOI

"I am distributing ladoos because people who made a mistake by electing AAP in 2015 have undone their mistake," said Tarlochan Singh, a BJP worker. Women and youth made the majority of BJP workers. Congress and AAP workers were not seen at the counting centre.

The result of this bypoll is seen as a test for the upcoming municipal poll to be held on April 23, where for the first time, three major parties – AAP, Congress and BJP will be contesting.
A Congress party member told TOI that even though they have secured second place in the bypoll, the voting percentage has gone up since 2013 assembly elections.
“In 2013, for the Rajouri Garden assembly seat, Congress had 30% of the vote share which went down in 2015 to 12% and this time around, it has gone up to 38%. This shows a positive trend and we are confident of winning in upcoming Municipal Poll,” said a Congress party member.
Sirsa had won the Rajouri Garden assembly constituency in 2013, and was defeated to AAP candidate Jarnail Singh in 2015. Singh however resigned from the post to contest for Punjab elections leaving the constituency vacant.
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