New Delhi: AAP leader Atishi on Sunday submitted her resignation from the Chief Minister's post following the party's defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections at the hands of the BJP.  

She submitted her resignation to LG V.K. Saxena at the Delhi Secretariat.

Atishi, a key strategist for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), managed to retain her Kalkaji seat, defeating BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri by a margin of 3,521 votes.

However, her victory was one of the few bright spots for AAP in an otherwise disastrous election, where senior leaders including Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal suffered shocking defeats.

The BJP stormed to power in Delhi on Saturday, ending AAP's decade-long dominance in the capital. The landslide victory not only marks the end of the Kejriwal-led governance model but also signals a shift in public sentiment -- where freebies and sops no longer guarantee electoral success.

The BJP's win in Delhi cements its stronghold over North India, as it now governs all neighbouring states, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan. Interestingly, BJP's dominance in border constituencies -- particularly those adjoining Haryana and Uttar Pradesh -- played a significant role in its victory.

AAP's repeated accusations against the Haryana government regarding water contamination in the Yamuna and its broader governance narrative failed to sway voters.

AAP also faced backlash for its handling of the stubble-burning issue in Punjab, with voters perceiving its repeated confrontations with the Centre and Delhi's Lieutenant Governor as diversionary tactics.

For the BJP, this victory ends a long wait to reclaim Delhi, after suffering crushing defeats in the 2015 and 2020 elections. Now, with a decisive mandate, the party is set to implement its vision for the national capital, bringing an end to the AAP era in Delhi politics.

(IANS)