Common Man's victory
India's newly-formed Aam Aadmi Party (the Common Man's Party), which pledges to wipe out corruption from the country, has emerged as the second largest party in Delhi's state elections, ahead of the ruling Congress.
An alternative
Indian political commentators view the surprising performance of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), or the Common Man's Party, which secured 28 of 70 assembly seats in Delhi, as a setback to both the ruling Congress party and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They say the AAP gives Indian voters an alternative in next year's general elections.
Outrage against corruption
Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP's founder, says he will not form a coalition with the right-wing BJP, which secured 31 assembly seats. Kejriwal was at the forefront of massive anti-corruption protests in India which were instrumental in putting the issue of graft in the national spotlight.
Congress wiped out
The ruling Congress party has been hit by a string of corruption scandals and is going through its roughest political patch in years since it returned to power in 2009. The voters' dissatisfaction with Congress is reflected in these elections, as Delhi's Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's 15-year-rule now comes to an end. The party only managed to get eight seats in Delhi.
India at a crossroads
It all began with the 74-year-old veteran social activist Anna Hazare's decision to go on a hunger strike against corruption a few years ago. The focus of his campaign was to force the Indian parliament to approve the Jan Lokpal (Citizen's Ombudsman) bill, which proposes to set up the institution of an independent ombudsman with the power to prosecute politicians and civil servants in graft cases.
'Anti-democratic' demands
According to some experts, the anti-corruption movement is anti-democratic and short-sighted when it comes to offering solutions to the problem. Congress party supporters say these activists insist on establishing, or giving extra powers to unelected supra-parliamentary bodies to prosecute elected legislators. The government says that no institution should be more powerful than parliament.
A verdict against rape?
A series of brutal gang rapes in Delhi shocked the entire country. Many Indians held the Delhi state government responsible for its inability to protect women. Experts say this could also be a reason for Congress' historic defeat in the recent state elections.
A new challenger
The Congress party lost the states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to the BJP. These elections are seen as a rehearsal for next year's parliamentary elections. The AAP only ran for elections in Delhi, but it plans to contest nationwide in the next year's election. Analysts say the new party could be a challenge for the BJP too.