Within hours of vote-counting in high-stake New Delhi state elections, it quickly became clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was facing a major defeat by the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party.

According to official results, the AAP secured 62 of the 70 seats, while Modi's BJP managed to win just 8 seats, and the Indian National Congress drew zero. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who launched the AAP in 2012, is set to continue his post.

During its election campaign, the AAP focused on combating graft in India's political system. The party also drew attention to its earlier efforts to improve public schools and health care. The AAP came to position itself as a party with pro-poor, pro-welfare policies. Tuesday's results showed that the AAP's message has struck a chord with New Delhi voters.

Some believe that voters turned to the AAP because they feel the BJP has exploited India's fault lines, exacerbating tensions between Muslims and Hindus.

"Finally, hate speeches, guns, bullets, fear-mongering and targeting Muslims backfired so badly," AAP spokesperson Jasmine Shah told DW. "People saw through their disruptive narrative, and democracy has won."

Read more:The death of Indian democracy

Critics say much of the BJP's campaign has sought to divide on the basis of religion in the hopes of consolidating Hindu voters — a tactic that has worked for the party in other states. In 2019, the BJP secured a vast majority in Parliament during the general elections.

"Delhi has protected the soul of India," Pawan Verma of the Congress party told DW. "It has exposed the machinations of the, BJP and now people will see through the divisive agenda of the party."

India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions Shutdown in parts of India The Indian government suspended internet services and tightened security on Friday in several parts of the country, including the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The government is expecting another wave of violent protests against the controversial new Citizenship Amendment Act, which was enacted on December 11.

India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions Defending India's secular constitution The new law gives Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Christian and Parsi immigrants from Muslim-majority Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan a path toward fast-track citizenship. Critics say the law discriminates against Muslims and that the award of citizenship based on religion violates India's secular constitution.

India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions Fears of citizenship registration The Indian government is also preparing plans for a National Register of Citizens (NRC), in what it says is an attempt to identify and expel undocumented illegal immigrants. If a nationwide NRC is implemented, critics fear that residents unable to prove citizenship would be turned stateless. A similar exercise in Assam state has already excluded nearly 2 million residents from the list.

India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions Outcry of intellectuals Several liberal-minded intellectuals such as the well-known writer Arundhati Roy have sharply criticized the new law and the government's plan to create a nationwide citizenship registration. Conservative politicians such as Subramanian Swamy, a former minister of commerce, has called for Roy to be arrested and charged with sedition.

India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions Students against the new law Students from several universities across the country have taken to the streets to protest against the new measures. Several student organizations are at the forefront of the protests. They are making use of social media to wage a parallel battle online and teach people how to organize demonstrations.

India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions Police cracking down on protesters Indian authorities have deployed thousands of riot police to control the protests. At least 25 people have so far died in two weeks of at times violent demonstrations. India's army chief has also criticized the role of students in the protests.

India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions Hindu nationalists adamant Prime minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has remained adamant throughout the protests. They say that people are misguided and don't understand the real meaning of the law. The BJP blames the opposition Congress Party for creating confusion and igniting fear.

India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions Supporters of new citizenship act The Rashitrya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a right-wing, Hindu-nationalist paramilitary volunteer organization. Members of the group, which is the parent organization of the BJP, were seen parading on the outskirts of Hyderabad in support of the new law. Author: Rodion Ebbighausen



Bill sparks protests

For BJP members, Delhi's election is a test of Modi's popularity after months of sometimes violent protests against a citizenship law that passed in December.

Delhi has been at the center of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Shaheen Bagh, a predominantly Muslim middle-class locality in the city, has been the epicenter of Delhi's protests, inspiring protests across India. At least 40 people have died in the protests.

The citizenship bill was widely viewed as discriminatory against Muslims, who make up nearly 15% of India's population of 1.3 billion. Muslims feared that the law could be used in combination with the proposed National Register of Citizens to harass and disenfranchise them. Critics say the citizenship law, which fast-tracks citizenship for non-Muslims from three neighboring countries, goes against the country's secular constitution.

"This result in Delhi is not a referendum on the citizenship law," the BJP's Seshadri Chari told DW. "It will be carried out. We lost because of the local issues in the campaign."

Read more: Opinion: India's new citizenship act is unconstitutional

Hate politics

The BJP's election campaign was primarily spearheaded by Interior Minister Amit Shah. The former party president held a record 47 election campaign events, including 35 rallies and nine road shows.

Some political analysts believe that the BJP began deploying methods to mobilize hard-line supporters when it sensed the potential for success evaporating. Analysts say the tactics included boosting Hindu nationalism and anti-Pakistan rhetoric.

Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh chief minister and a Hindu nationalist, stated during his campaign that, though the government fed "bullets to traitors," the AAP's Kejriwal treated them to "biryani," a mixed rice dish.

Watch video 00:55 Indians protest Citizenship Amendment Bill

During his campaign, the BJP member of Parliament Anurag Thakur referred to people who protested the citizenship amendment as the "country's traitors," prompting crowds to chant back "shoot them."

In June 2019, a US State Department report on international religious freedom documented cases of religiously motivated killings in India, as well as discrimination, vandalism and restrictions on practicing religious beliefs.

"The ideologues of the BJP are not interested in winning Delhi but in cementing the core Hindu vote and then similarly across India to launch its Hindu nation project," the political analyst Meghnad Desai said.

Read more: Opinion: Why Modi's 'Digital India' plan is floundering

BJP popularity wanes

The Delhi elections are likely to further damage Modi following a slew of electoral losses in the states of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

Political analysts believe that the high-profile Delhi verdict could be a wake-up call for the BJP to reassess its strategy in light of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar and West Bengal.

"It was the dirtiest election campaign ever witnessed in India's electoral history" the political analyst Sudheendra Kulkarni told DW. "It was toxic, and I hope there is some introspection in the BJP."

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