The 2025 Delhi Assembly elections have delivered a stark verdict — Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are no longer the undisputed political force in the national capital. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a majority in the state assembly.
As per the latest Election Commission data, the BJP may win around 47 seats and the Kejriwal-led party will win around 23 seats in the 70-seat Assembly. With the BJP set to regain control of Delhi after 27 years.
What went wrong for the Aam Aadmi Party?
As per the Times of India, while AAP achieved impressive results in health and education during its first two terms and kept voters happy with power and water subsidies, unfulfilled promises, such as improved air quality, became major poll issues.
The AAP’s assertion that the BJP government at the Centre was creating roadblocks in its functioning began to be increasingly seen by voters as excuses, especially after ten years in power.
The BJP’s “double engine” promise, suggesting seamless governance between the central and state levels, appealed to voters against the backdrop of AAP’s constant conflicts with the Centre. Furthermore, internal disarray within the AAP, with senior leaders facing jail time, added to the challenges of incumbency.
The image of Arvind Kejriwal as an anti-corruption crusader suffered a setback due to several factors, most notably the controversy surrounding the now-scrapped liquor policy.
The BJP accused the AAP government of turning Delhi into a “city of drunkards” with the new policy, and receiving crores in kickbacks from those who opened the vends.
Probes by central agencies led to the arrest of top AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh. These arrests forced Sisodia to step down as deputy chief minister and kept the AAP in “firefighting mode”, distracting from fulfilling its 2020 poll promises.
Additionally, the “Sheesh Mahal” controversy, referring to the renovated residence of the chief minister, further dented Kejriwal’s image. The BJP further highlighted a Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report that indicated the renovation cost had increased from an initial estimate of Rs 7.91 crore to Rs 33.66 crore by completion.
AAP has been synonymous with Arvind Kejriwal since its inception. Kejriwal, initially seen as an agent of change with his untucked shirt and no-nonsense demeanor, resonated with the common person.
However, the anti-corruption image of Kejriwal and his party suffered irreparable damage, especially after the AAP leader’s arrest in March 2024 on corruption allegations and his subsequent resignation as CM.
While he was later granted bail, the leadership transition to Atishi and the circumstances surrounding Kejriwal’s arrest damaged the party’s image and cohesion.
