The crucial counting of votes is concluded in the Delhi Assembly elections 2025. The tends of the Election Commission showed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to return to power, marking an end of a 27-year-long drought in the national capital. In a big blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), party convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lost the New Delhi seat to Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Parvesh Sahib Singh. Senior AAP leader and former deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia conceded defeat from the Jangpura seat. The final tally is BJP+ 48, AAP 22, CONG 0 and others 0.
The elections witnessed a voter turnout of 60.54%, with a fierce contest between BJP, AAP, and Congress. While AAP, which had dominated Delhi politics since 2015, put up a strong fight, it could not withstand the BJP’s surge. Meanwhile, Congress, which struggled in the last two elections, failed to make a significant impact once again.
Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, contesting all seats, was aiming for a hat-trick of solo wins. The party has been in power in Delhi since 2013, it was supported by the Congress back then. The BJP, contesting on 68 seats, has been out of power in Delhi for last 28 years. The Congress, which ruled the city for 15 straight years, has failed to win any seat in the last three elections.
Delhi has 1,561,400 registered voters, including 837,617 males, 723,656 females, and 1,267 third-gender voters. The electorate also includes 239,905 first-time voters aged 18-19, 109,368 elderly voters aged 85 and above, and 79,885 persons with disabilities.
Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP is losing Delhi due to anti-incumbency, governance fatigue and the BJP’s relentless onslaught.
After more than a decade in power, AAP’s appeal has waned, especially among the middle class which was once drawn to Kejriwal’s anti-corruption stance. Kejriwal, once a champion of the middle-class-led anti-corruption movement, had pivoted to becoming the party of the poor – it is not yet clear when the poor and Delhi’s struggling working class abandoned him.
Corruption allegations, the jailing of key leaders, and Kejriwal’s own arrest damaged AAP’s campaign, creating a vacuum the BJP swiftly filled. Backed by vast resources and a powerful electoral machine, the BJP’s “double-engine” pitch – where state and federal governments are ruled by the same party – promised stability and better governance.
Congress, the grand old party that ruled Delhi until 2013, failed once again to make inroads in the national capital, scoring a zero in the Delhi Assembly election. Having ruled Delhi for 15 years under Sheila Dikshit, the party has failed to regain its footing since its 2013 ouster. The latest setback only deepens its crisis.
The election, held in a single phase on February 5, saw over 15 million eligible voters casting their ballots across 70 Assembly constituencies. A total of 699 candidates, including 603 male and 96 female contenders, competed for the electorate’s mandate.
A party needs 36 seats to form a majority in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. While the BJP secured 48, AAP’s numbers plummeted from 67 in the 2015 election to just 22 in 2025 and Congress failed to open an account. The latest defeat poses a big question – what led to Congress hat-trick of zeroes?
Congress’ decline in Delhi began in 2013 when the anti-corruption wave, led by Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP, wiped out its stronghold. The party was reduced to just eight seats, a stunning fall from its previous dominance. Congress, rather than re-strategising and rebuilding a strong local leadership, continued to rely on national leaders who failed to connect with the city’s changing voter base.
AAP’s rise came largely at Congress’ expense. Voters looking for an alternative to the BJP, shifted their support to Kejriwal’s party, which positioned itself as the new face of governance. With similar voter bases—minorities, slum dwellers, and lower-middle-class residents—Congress struggled to differentiate itself. Instead of getting aggressive after the defeat, Congress remained largely passive.
This is a huge problem for Congress, not only in Delhi but at Centre and across India – it lacks a strong leadership face as against AAP and BJP who have Arvind Kejriwal and Narendra Modi. The party failed to groom a regional face after Sheila Dikshit’s demise and evidently relied instead on a disjointed leadership structure.
Congress’ inconsistent approach to alliances has further hurt its prospects. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it teamed up with AAP under the INDIA bloc, only to contest against it in the Delhi Assembly elections months later. This move confused voters and divided the anti-BJP vote, benefiting the ruling party. Moreover, with AAP, BSP, AIMIM, and other smaller parties also in the fray, Congress struggled to consolidate its support base.
Delhi has been facing many pressing problems—pollution, infrastructure gaps, and unemployment— but Congress failed to present a compelling vision for governance. While AAP maintained its brand of welfarism, BJP promised stability and development, but Congress lacked a distinct narrative to woo voters.
With yet another loss, Congress’ path to revival in Delhi looks increasingly difficult. To make a comeback, it needs to invest in strong regional leadership, develop a clear ideological positioning, and rebuild its grassroots presence. The grand old party should refrain from the utterances of Anti national and Anti Hindu statements. Now the majority of Indians believe that congress can not be trusted for safe guarding the national interest. Unless the party takes bold corrective measures, its losing streak in the capital may only continue on pan India.
This is a historic victory – BJP’s first Delhi majority in almost 30 years. Its “Parivartan” (change) message struck a chord, but its political and financial muscle sealed the landslide win.
Fresh off wins in the states of Haryana and Maharashtra, this cements BJP’s resurgence after last year’s general election setback. With Delhi slipping away, the fragmented opposition is in disarray, while the BJP enters the next electoral cycle with a clear upper hand.
