Delhi elections: Debutant’s dreams dashed as BJP wrests Patparganj after 3 decades | India News
The dreams of AAP debutant Avadh Ojha were swept away in the BJP wave, as he lost Manish Sisodia’s former seat Patparganj to Ravinder Negi by a huge margin, polling 45,988 votes compared to Negi’s 74,060. Congress, which once dominated the seat, failed to regain lost ground, with Anil Chaudhary finishing a distant third with 16,549 votes.
A key east Delhi constituency, Patparganj is characterised by its significant Poorvanchali and Pahadi voter base.
Delhi Election Results 2025
It was a Congress bastion till 2013, after which Sisodia held the seat. This time, he wasn’t in the fray, leaving AAP to field Ojha. Sisodia’s gamble to shift from a constituency he represented thrice didn’t work, as he lost from Jangpura too.
Ojha, who was banking on AAP’s track record of education reforms and his credentials as a civil services coaching expert, was in for a rude shock. Accepting responsibility for his defeat, he said, “I couldn’t connect to people… I will meet the people and contest the next election from here.” Being a political greenhorn went against Ojha, as did the decade-long anti-incumbency against AAP. The disenchantment of Patparganj voters was evident in 2020, when Sisodia won with a narrow margin of 3,207 against Negi, as compared to 28,791 in 2015.
This time, Negi took advantage of the former deputy CM’s absence, establishing a strong voter connection. Attributing his win to PM Modi’s governance and his “guarantees”, he said: “He conducted numerous rallies and convinced voters of the necessity of removing AAP-da.”
