Results for by-elections in 10 Assembly constituencies across eight States on Thursday reaffirmed the BJP’s political might, as the ruling party registered a victory in as many as five constituencies in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Assam. The Congress took heart in winning both the by-polls in Karnataka and securing one seat in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.

But the biggest disappointment was reserved for the Aam Aadmi Party, which is currently in the midst of a keen contest for the three municipal corporations in Delhi. The AAP candidate lost his deposit in the by-poll for the Rajouri Garden seat, which it had won in the 2015 Assembly elections. The seat was won by the BJP, which secured an impressive 51.99 per cent vote share. Congress remained at the second slot with 33.23 per cent vote share. The AAP could get only 13.12 per cent of the total votes polled.

The Assembly by-election results were celebrated by the BJP as a continuation of its victory run from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand last month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described it as a thumbs up for “politics of development and good governance” in a series of tweets.

“Impressive performance by the BJP and NDA in the by-polls in different parts of the country. Congratulations to karyakartas,” said Modi on his official twitter handle. “I thank the people for the constant support, blessings and unwavering faith in politics of development and good governance,” he added.

The by-poll results significantly altered the atmospherics in Delhi, where a three-cornered contest is under way for three municipal corporations, for which polling will be held on April 23. A buoyed BJP stepped up its offensive against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with the triumphant candidate from Rajouri Garden seat Manjinder Singh Sirsa asking for his resignation.

“The by-election results are a reflection of the mood in Delhi. It is a sign that Arvind Kejriwal should resign and people should have a government they want,” said Sirsa. Congress’s Haroon Yusuf said the election results proved that AAP has lost its political relevance.

Battlefield It was decidedly a blow for AAP, which is fighting a pitched battle with the BJP-ruled Centre since Kejriwal steered his debutant party to an extraordinary victory in Delhi in 2015.

In the Assembly elections in 2015, the AAP secured 54.34 per cent votes and 67 of the total 70 seats in Delhi. BJP got 32.19 per cent vote but managed to get only three seats. The Congress’s vote share plummeted to 9.65 per cent and it failed to win a single seat in the capital where it had been in power for three successive terms under Sheila Dikshit’s stewardship.

But in the past two years, the AAP government has been losing steam with Kejriwal having opened multiple fronts in his war of words with the Centre. The AAP government has an ongoing battle with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor over jurisdictional issues.

Criminal cases have been filed against several AAP MLAs, which Kerjiwal maintains are “politically motivated”, and he himself is contesting several court cases against many central leaders including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who has sued the Delhi CM for defamation.

Twenty-one AAP MLAs have been disqualified for occupying Office of Profit. Not being able to secure a victory in Punjab Assembly elections and coming a cropper in Goa has done nothing to boost AAP’s fledgling prospects.

In this backdrop, winning the three civic bodies — South, North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations — presently held by the BJP, has become a survival issue for the AAP. Losing its deposit in an Assembly by-poll just a week ahead of these crucial corporation polls does not bode well for AAP’s prospects.

The Congress, in the meantime, has some reason to celebrate.

Not only did it manage to win both the seats in Karnataka where it is in power, it also managed to secure a victory in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh by winning the Ater Assembly by-poll.

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