Why Delhi Election 2025 is AAP’s toughest test and BJP’s prestige battle – explained in 5 key points
Delhi Election 2025: As Delhi gears up for the February 5 elections, the Aam Aadmi Party faces its toughest challenge yet against a resurgent BJP and a hopeful Congress. With corruption charges looming and anti-incumbency sentiments rising, the stakes couldn't be higher for the parties.
Delhi Election 2025: Delhi will vote on February 5 to elect its new government. The results will be announced on February 8. The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the poll schedule on Tuesday, January 7.
The fight in the national capital is triangular with three major parties – the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP), the Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP) and the Congress – in the poll fray. The ruling AAP has announced candidates for all 70 seats. The BJP and the Congress have not announced all the names yet.
Toughest Test for AAP
The AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, is contesting its fourth assembly election in the national capital since 2012, when it was born out of anti-graft movement centered in Delhi.
AAP's first attempt at electoral politics was in 2013. The fledgling political outfit came out with stunning results when it dislodged the then Congress government led by late Sheila Dikshit, who was the chief minister for 15 years since 1998. Kejriwal became the chief minister with the support of the Congress party's support. Forty-nine days later, Kejriwal resigned.
The party improved its performance and won assembly elections in 2015 and 2020 quite comfortably. The BJP was left with single-digit seats in the Delhi assembly in the last two elections, and the Congress completely wiped out after ruling Delhi for 15 years before 2013.
‘Fastest-growing political startup’
In the last ten years, AAP emerged as what many of its supporters refer to as the ‘fastest-growing political startup’ of the country. Not just in Delhi, AAP won 2022 assembly elections in Punjab too. It has presence beyond Delhi and Punjab in other states too earning it a national party status in 2022.
In the national capital, however, AAP continued to be in an at-odds relationship with the BJP-led Union government and the office of centre's appointed Lieutenant Governors (L-G).
“This election will be between the politics of work and the politics of abuse. The people of Delhi will have faith in our politics of work. We will definitely win,” Kejriwal said in a post on X.
The last two years have been the toughest for Delhi's ruling party. Its leadership found itself in the middle of investigations by central investigation agencies over corruption allegations – mostly around the alleged Delhi Liquor Policy scam. AAP's top leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Satyendar Jain, were arrested, jailed and eventually released on bail.
The AAP is seeking a third straight term in Delhi in the February 5 polls – perhaps its toughest battle ever. AAP is battling an anti-incumbency of ten years, and its leaders face corruption allegations. The February 5 election is clearly an existential battle for the party that came into being in the national capital more than a decade ago.
The AAP is banking on welfare schemes – old and new – and its ‘developmental’ record in the upcoming elections while facing a resurgent BJP and a dormant Congress.
Prestige Battle for BJP
For the BJP, the assembly election is a prestige battle having been out of power in the national capital for over 27 years. The last time BJP had a chief minister in Delhi was in 1998 – the late Sushma Swaraj for 52 days.
The BJP's vote share in Delhi in 2013 polls was 33.1 per cent. It rose to 32.2 percent in 2015 and 38.5 per cent in 2020. The number of assembly seats, however, went down drastically – from 32 in 2015 to 8 in 2020.
This is despite the party's expanding presence across the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014. The party, though, won all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital in the last three parliamentary elections.
The BJP aims to break AAP’s decade-long dominance in the national capital. The BJP is banking on the anti-incumbency against AAP, the corruption charges and PM Modi. With no CM face, the BJP campaign was launched with two back-to-back rallies accompanied by a mega infrastructure push by Modi days ahead of the poll date announcement.
“Under the guidance of PM Modiji, the BJP government has been continuously working towards the comprehensive development of Delhi and will further our efforts to turn the dream of a 'Viksit Delhi' into a reality,” BJP President JP Nadda said in a post on X.
The ‘Sheesh Mahal’ Poll Plank
Among other issues, BJP and Modi have been highlighting the alleged ‘lavish spending’ in the construction of 6 Flagstaff Road residence of Arvind Kejriwal – 'Sheesh Mahal' – when he was chief minister before stepping down in September last year.
Using a corruption charge as a poll plank for someone who rose from being an anti-graft activist may fetch electoral dividends for the BJP, political analysts said. BJP state unit chief Virendra Sachdeva called the AAP dispensation in Delhi the government of ‘criminals on bail.’
For the Congress, Delhi is another one of many strongholds it lost in recent years. The grand old party was in power in Delhi for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2013, before the AAP came to power for the first time in 2013.
The Congress Hopes
The Congress won sight seats in 2013 and none in 2015 and 2020 Delhi assembly polls. The Congress and the AAP, INDIA bloc partners nationally, are rivals in the national capital.
This election will be between the politics of work and the politics of abuse.
The Congress is hoping to resurrect itself in Delhi election, especially after its abysmal performance in recent Haryana and Maharashtra assembly polls.
"There is anti-incumbency against the central as well as Delhi government. People are comparing the works done by different governments. For 15 years, Sheila Dikshit was governing. Kejriwal got a chance for three terms. People have analysed 10 years of this rule and they will vote for Congress this time," Congress leader Alka Lamba, who is a Congress candidate from the Kalkaji Assembly constituency, told news agency ANI.
Under the guidance of PM Modiji, the BJP government has been continuously working towards the comprehensive development of Delhi.
Key Takeaways
- The AAP is fighting for its political survival amid corruption allegations and anti-incumbency.
- The BJP is leveraging past governance failures of AAP to regain control after 27 years in opposition.
- Congress is attempting to reclaim its lost foothold in Delhi amidst the rivalry with both AAP and BJP.
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Business NewsElectionsWhy Delhi Election 2025 is AAP’s toughest test and BJP’s prestige battle – explained in 5 key points
First Published:8 Jan 2025, 07:32 AM IST
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