The Delhi Legislative Assembly elections held in 2025 proved a landmark moment in the context of Delhi politics, as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), now led by Arvind Kejriwal, faced great potential opposition by way of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The party had been ruling the capital for nearly ten years, but results clearly indicated that times were changing in the state. The election surprised with a win by the BJP that managed to get 48 seats out of 70. In contrast, AAP, led by Kejriwal, won only 22 seats, marking a significant decrease from its earlier performance.
The Campaign and Issues
Kejriwal’s leadership has been at the core of AAP’s growth in Delhi, which emphasizes welfare programs, such as free water, electricity, and education. However, the 2025 election saw AAP facing intense competition, particularly from the BJP, which emphasized key issues like corruption, pollution, and the government’s handling of the Yamuna River. Kejriwal’s initiatives like the Mahila Samman Yojana, aimed at giving women financial assistance, were a major part of AAP’s campaign, but they weren’t enough to win over all sections of Delhi’s electorate.
The BJP campaign was supported by the influence and rhetoric of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who highlighted AAP’s failure to address the ongoing issues of Delhi, such as pollution and water scarcity. The BJP also emphasized its “Parivartan” (change) narrative, which appealed to many voters who were disappointed with AAP’s governance.
Arvind Kejriwal’s Defeat and Its Implications
One of the most important aspects of this election was the defeat of Arvind Kejriwal himself in the prestigious New Delhi constituency, where he lost to BJP’s Parvesh Verma by over 4,000 votes. This was seen as a major setback for AAP, as Kejriwal had previously won the seat by wide margins in earlier elections. The loss has invited severe criticism from several political analysts, and previous party chiefs have also identified the problem of internal maladies and the inability to deal with key governance issues as part of the reasons for defeat.
Although Kejriwal lost, AAP won 22 seats, which was a dramatic fall from the performance in 2015 and 2020, where AAP was the absolute ruler of Delhi politics.
A Shift in Voter Sentiment
The results also showed a change in the electoral landscape of Delhi. The anti-BJP vote, which had traditionally been consolidated behind AAP, was divided between AAP and Congress in several constituencies. The Congress party, which had once been a major force in Delhi, failed to win any seats in this election despite fielding strong candidates. This division of votes may have benefited the BJP, which capitalized on the lack of a united opposition to secure its victory.
Conclusion
The Delhi assembly elections held in 2025 have, to some extent marked the end of an era for Arvind Kejriwal and AAP in the governance of the Delhi city since it has witnessed a shift to power by the BJP. Some issues, despite his popular policies amongst a large chunk of voters, including poor governance and loss of unity before BJP, hampered AAP. This election is a reminder of the dynamic nature of Delhi politics, where voter sentiment can change overnight in response to both local and national factors. It will be interesting to see how Kejriwal and AAP regroup in the years ahead, but for now, the BJP’s victory marks a new chapter in the capital’s political journey.
