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Saurabh Bharadwaj, the outgoing Delhi Health Minister, fought back tears as he addressed his supporters after losing the Delhi Assembly elections. Speaking with a choked voice, he said he accepted his defeat in the “spirit of sportsmanship,” but seeing his supporters upset made him emotional.
Bharadwaj lost his seat in the Greater Kailash constituency to the BJP’s Shikha Roy by 3,188 votes. Roy received 49,594 votes, while Bharadwaj got 46,406. Despite working hard throughout the campaign, Bharadwaj admitted that the sight of his supporters crying was difficult for him to bear.
यूं भावुक न हो मेरे दोस्त..🥹
ये तेरी जिंदगी अब तेरी नहीं, तेरे चाहने वालों की हो चुकी है।❤️🙏Saurabh Bhardwaj is not just a leader, he is a great human being. And he will always be the leader of his workers. This is his biggest achievement. pic.twitter.com/BU4LQaku7S
Advertisement · Scroll to continue— Rudra Ravii (@RudraRavii) February 10, 2025
“I have accepted the defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship,” he told the gathered crowd, who had been a part of his journey in both the 2015 and 2020 elections. As his voice quivered, he turned away from the microphone for a brief moment to compose himself, unable to mask his emotions. Acknowledging the hard work and dedication of his team, he said, “I am extremely proud of all of you,” before revealing that the sight of his supporters crying had affected him profoundly.
In previous elections, Bharadwaj had won Greater Kailash by large margins—16,809 votes in 2020 and 14,583 in 2015. But this year, the tables turned, and the BJP candidate secured the win. The defeat was part of a bigger trend, as the BJP won 48 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly, while AAP’s number of seats dropped dramatically from 62 in 2020 to just 22 this time.
Despite the disappointment, Bharadwaj stayed composed and proud of his team. “I am extremely proud of all of you,” he told his supporters. His emotional address showed his maturity and acceptance of the election result, even though it was hard for him to see his supporters so upset.
Bharadwaj’s speech and the election results marked a big shift in Delhi’s politics. The BJP is set to take charge, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to return soon to formally claim power.
Bharadwaj’s graceful acceptance of defeat is a reminder that in politics, sportsmanship and dignity matter, even in tough times.
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