Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena reportedly told outgoing Delhi Chief Minister Atishi when she visited Raj Bhawan to submit her resignation that she had lost the Assembly elections because she was "cursed by Yamuna Maiya".
According to sources, when Atishi arrived to submit her resignation at the Raj Niwas, the Delhi LG Saxena reminded her how he had repeatedly cautioned the government on public interest issues, particularly on cleaning of the Yamuna River. He reportedly told Atishi that the AAP had lost as they were "cursed by Yamuna Maiya" emphasizing that he had despite repeatedly bringing to their notice that such matters concerning the public should not be ignored, the Arvind Kejriwal party-led government had continued to neglect them. Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, the cleaning of the River Yamuna had dominated the campaigning with AAP convenor Kejriwal claiming that the Haryana government was mixing "poison in the Yamuna" river. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his poll speech ahead of the Assembly elections had also said that the BJP will make "Yamuna ji the identity of Delhi." The BJP won a historic mandate in Delhi polls, returning to power in the national capital after 27 years by ousting AAP. It secured a two-thirds majority bagging 48 out of 70 seats, while AAP's tally saw a massive drop at 22 from its previous tally of 62. Atishi, however, retained the Kalkaji seat after a hard-fought contest and defeated BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri by a margin of 3,521 votes. Atishi's win in Kalkaji constituency stands out for AAP, especially as several of its top leaders, including former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, lost their constituencies. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena dissolved the Seventh Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The dissolution of the assembly paves the way for the formation of a new government in the national capital under the BJP's leadership. "In exercise of the power conferred upon me by sub-section (2)(b) of section 6 of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, I, Vinai Kumar Saxena, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, hereby dissolve the Seventh Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from February 8, 2025." the LG order said. (ANI)
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