Rajinder Nagar by-polls result: AAP wins big, Durgesh Pathak defeats BJP by over 11,000 votes

Rajinder Nagar by-polls result: The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday registered a massive win in the Rajinder Nagar Assembly by-polls after its leader Durgesh Pathak defeated BJP candidate Rajesh Bhatia by a margin of over 11,000 votes. "All 16 rounds of counting have been completed. AAP candidate Durgesh Pathak has defeated his immediate rival Rajesh Bhatia (of BJP) by a margin of over 11,000 votes," Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh said. Rajinder Nagar, which is said to be a bastion constituency for the Aam Aadmi Party, was earlier occupied by MLA Raghav Chadha. He has now taken charge as a Rajya Sabha MP from AAP.

According to official data, AAP's Pathak polled 40,319 votes, while his nearest rival Bhatia managed to get 28,851 votes. The victory margin was 11,468 votes.

Congress' contender Prem Lata could get only 2,014 votes in the bypoll.

The poll panel is yet to come out with the final voting figures.

The bypoll to the crucial assembly seat had taken place on June 23 with a low turnout of 43.75 per cent. Fourteen candidates threw their hats in the fray, which has largely been seen as a battle between a confident AAP and a spirited BJP.

Voting began at 8 am

The counting of votes had begun at 8 am amid tight security arrangements.

At the start of the counting of votes, Pathak had a slender lead of 1,500 votes over Bhatia which reduced to around 1,000 votes at the end of the fifth round of counting. After the sixth round, AAP's Pathak galloped ahead with a margin of 3,000 votes which rose to over 10,000 by the ninth round and eventually won the crucial Rajinder Nagar by-election with a margin of over 11,000 votes.

AAP leaders celebrate the big victory

AAP leaders, including the party's national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, congratulated Pathak on his victory in the bypoll.

‘Heartfelt thanks to the people of Rajendra Nagar. I am grateful for the immense affection and love of the people of Delhi. This inspires us to work harder and serve.” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

“People defeated their dirty politics and appreciated our good work. Thank you Rajendra Nagar, thank you Delhi,” he added.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also congratulated Pathak and tweeted in Hindi, "Many many congratulations to my dear brother @ipathak25 (Durgesh Pathak) on being elected MLA from Rajendra Nagar Vidhan Sabha. Congratulations to all the workers of AAP for the victory."

"In the heart of the people of Delhi, @ArvindKejriwal ji lives,? he added.

This was also the first electoral exercise in Delhi after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Twenty-four Covid-positive voters turned out to exercise their franchise in the bypoll, officials had said.

(With PTI inputs)