ASIA/INDIA - Elections in Delhi: nationalists collapse, for the Church it is "a new beginning"

New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) - "One may well say that it is a new beginning. A certain ideology has been defeated and we hope that now the wave of violence against churches may cease.
We cherish hopes that the new government can enforce the values enshrined in the Constitution of India and is committed to social and religious harmony, but also for the development of the poorest of the marginalized": this is how His Exc. Mgr. Anil Couto, Archbishop of Delhi comments the result of the vote regarding the administrative elections of the special territory of Delhi, held on February 7th.
According to official data, the Hindu Bharatiya Janata nationalist Party (BJP), in government at a federal level, has been defeated, while the ''Aam Aadmi Party'' triumphed, gaining 63 seats out of 70 in the legislative assembly. Its leader, Arvind Kejriwal, will be the new Prime Minister of the territory of Delhi. "He is a person I know and like, a credible man and committed to transparency and the common good", says Archbishop Couto about the new leader.
Fr. Savarimuthu Sankar, spokesman for the archdiocese, says to Fides: "We are confident that the new city government will act according to the rule of law and that will work for justice and harmony among the different communities. His victory is an unexpected result. We are convinced that violence in Delhi had an impact on the vote: This result proves that the campaign of hatred does not pay and that those who use religion for political purposes is a loser. I believe this vote is also a message to the central government of India". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 10/02/2015)