MUMBAI:

has urged regional parties to take a cue from the recent victory of the

in the Delhi assembly election and focus on the issue of good governance in their states in order to cut the BJP to size.

Pointing out that during the poll campaign Arvind Kejriwal studiously steered clear of Hindutva and the JNU and Shaheed Baug protests as well, Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP, said AAP instead raised issues linked to good governance. "Kejriwal worked very hard to earn voters' support. He offered free water supply and electricity to the middle class and the weaker section."

"At the end of the day, the Delhi voters extended wholehearted support to AAP, while ignoring the BJP's agenda--such as the surgical strike, the scrapping of Article 370 and the Ram temple issue," said Raut in an article in Saamna on Sunday.

Stating that Kejriwal held his ground while contesting for a second term, Raut said the AAP victory offers a lesson to regional outfits. Kejriwal contested 70 seats and bagged 62, while those in

, such as

and

could not separately win even 60 of the 100 seats which the two parties fought in state assembly elections in October last year, he noted.

"The Delhi poll results have proved conclusively that PM Modi and Amit Shah are not world conquerors and that they can be trounced in polls," said Raut.Though BJP turned the campaign's focus on Lord Ram, Kejriwal, a Hanuman devotee, reached the winning post with considerable ease. This happened because he unveiled 'Ram Rajya' in Delhi by laying emphasis on good governance, he added.

Raut has thus suggested that the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi, a coalition which he helped to forge, should douse agrarian unrest and resolve law and order and infrastructure issues which stare Maharashtra in the eye, said analysts.

Tension has begun to brew in the Aghadi over Sena's reported softening visa-vis NPR updation, even as NCP and Congress continue to oppose the move tooth and nail, they pointed out.