India elections: Biggest losers

India’s main opposition the Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP is headed for a landslide victory in parliamentary elections. The ruling Congress party is staring at its worst ever defeat, with many of its top leaders and outgoing cabinet ministers facing defeat.

Here is a list of prominent leaders who lost the elections:

Arvind Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party or Common Man’s Party leader Arvind Kejriwal contested against Narendra Modi from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state. He lost to prime minister-elect Modi.

 

  

 

Salman Khurshid

Outgoing Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid lost badly from his seat in Farrukhabad seat in Uttar Pradesh. He came fourth as Mahesh Rajput of the BJP triumphed. 

 

 

 

Sushilkumar Shinde

Sushilkumar Shinde, Minister of Home Affairs in the last government, lost his seat in Solapur, Maharashtra to Sharad Bansode of the BJP.

 

 

  

Kapil Sibal

Minister of Law and Justice Kapil Sibal lost to BJP’s Harsh Vardhan from Chandni Chowk in the capital, New Delhi.

 

 

   

Priya Dutt

 

Congress party’s Priya Dutt lost to BJP’s Poonam Mahajan Alias Poonam Vajendla Rao in the Mumbai North Central constituency.

 

 

  

Sachin Pilot

 

Sachin Pilot, the young minister, lost to BJP’s Sanwar Jat in Ajmer, Rajasthan.

 

 

 

 

Meira Kumar

 

The Speaker of the Lower House of parliament, Meira Kumar, lost to BJP’s Chhedi Paswan in Sasaram, Bihar.

 

  

  

Nandan Nilekani

IT Entrepreneur-turned-politician Nandan Nilekani of Congress party lost to Ananth Kumar in Bangalore South, Karnataka.

 

 

  

Arun Jaitley

 

BJP’s Arun Jaitley lost to Congress party’s Amarinder Singh, a former chief minister of the Punjab state, in Amritsar.