BJP's Parvesh Verma accepts defeat in Delhi but not without a dig at Sisodia

Accepting the election result in the national capital, BJP’s Parvesh Verma, on Tuesday (February 11) said, Manish Sisodia would not have been trailing if the election was on Education and Development.

Taking a dig at the opposition, the West Delhi lawmaker, who was banned twice by the Election Commission for his inflammatory remarks in the recent the Delhi election, said, “I accept the result. We will work hard and give a better performance in the next elections.”

“If this election would have been on Education and Development, then Manish Sisodia would not have been trailing,” he added.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is leading in 63 seats while the BJP in seven, according to the Election Commission (EC) early trends.

As Sisodia clinched victory, he thanked the people of Delhi. Sisodia, who retained the Patparganj seat for the third time, said “People have explained the true meaning of nationalism through their mandate.”

Sisodia said the BJP indulged in ‘politics of hate,’ but people refused to be divided. “I am happy to have won the Patparganj seat again. The BJP indulged in politics of hate but I thank the people of Patparganj. Today, Delhi’s people have chosen a government which works for them and explained the true meaning of nationalism through their mandate,” he told reporters.

He then pointed to the AAP’s insistence that the renewed mandate for the party was a recognition of the work that the Arvind Kejriwal-led government had done in Delhi, especially to fix state-run schools and hospitals in the national capital.

The AAP leader was referring to remarks made by BJP MP Parvesh Verma at a poll rally. Verma had called Kejriwal a “terrorist” over his alleged support to an anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protest in south Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh.

(With inputs from agencies)