New Delhi: Despite losing its hold on Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has achieved a breakthrough in Chhattisgarh’s civic polls, winning the Bodri municipal chairman seat in Bilaspur, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dominated state. This win marks AAP’s entry into Chhattisgarh’s political landscape and signals its growing national ambitions.
AAP candidate Neelam Vijay Verma secured the Bodri seat, the largest municipality in Bilaspur, defeating the BJP candidate in a closely fought contest by a margin of 290 votes. Bodri falls within the constituency of Assembly Speaker Dharmaraj Kaushik, making the win even more noteworthy. AAP also gained ground by winning three councillor seats in Bodri and another in Kusmi.
While the BJP swept the mayoral elections, winning all 10 mayor posts and a majority in most civic bodies, AAP’s victory in Bodri represents a breakthrough for the party in a BJP-ruled state. According to the experts, this win demonstrates AAP’s ability to gain traction outside its traditional strongholds and could potentially reshape the political dynamics in Chhattisgarh in the future.
The BJP celebrated its resounding success in the mayoral races, with party chief JP Nadda congratulating CM Vishnu Deo Sai, state BJP President Kiran Singh Deo, and party workers. Nadda attributed the win to public faith in the BJP government’s welfare initiatives. CM Sai described the outcome as a historic day for the party in Chhattisgarh.
“This historic victory is a symbol of the unwavering faith of the people of the state on the public welfare and tribal-friendly schemes being implemented by the double-engine government under the guidance of the respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji,” said Nadda in a post on X.
Reacting to the party’s victory, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said that today is a historic day for BJP and the BJP government in Chhattisgarh.
“We can say that this day will be written in golden letters in the political history of Chhattisgarh because BJP has achieved a historic victory in the municipal elections. The voters here have placed their trust in BJP,” said Deo.
The Chhattisgarh urban body elections, conducted using EVMs for the first time, witnessed a high voter turnout. Over 44 lakh voters participated, with the administration ensuring smooth and secure polling across nearly 6,000 polling booths.
