In a historic shift in Delhi’s political landscape, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections with a majority of 48 out of 70 seats, ending the Aam Aadmi Party (APP)’s decade-long dominance in the capital. The Aam Aadmi Party (APP) managed to win only 22 seats, a sharp decline from its 2020 victory with 62 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) failed to secure a single seat for the second consecutive election.
However, a closer look at the results reveals a crucial factor, the lack of an alliance between AAP and Congress directly contributed to BJP’s victory.
An analysis of the vote margins indicates that in 14 constituencies, AAP’s defeat margin was smaller than the number of votes secured by congress candidates. This means that had APP and Congress contested together it could have won 37 seats, enough to form the government with a majority of 36 seats, potentially reducing BJP’s to just 34 seats.
Political analysts believe that the division of anti-BJP votes between AAP and Congress played a decisive role in BJP’s victory.
Despite allying with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, AAP and Congress chose to contest the Delhi Assembly elections separately. The reasons for this decision include:
Lack of arrangement on seat sharing- congress reportedly demanded 5 to 10 seats, but AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal refused to accommodate the demand. On December 1, 2024, Kejriwal publicity declared there would be no alliance with Congress.
Congress’ anti-AAP campaign- congress leaders, including Ajay Maken, aggressively criticized AAP’s governance, particularly over the Delhi liquor policy controversy. Protest rallies were organized and slogans against Kejriwal were raised in Congress campaign events.
Growing political rivalry- while Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party) and Mamata Banerjee (TMC) supported APP, congress distanced itself and focused on attacking AAP rather than the BJP.
Traditionally Delhi witnessed a direct flight between Congress and BJP. However, since AAP’s emergence in 2013, it captured the anti-BJP vote that once belonged to Congress.
With Congress’ decline, AAP became BJP’s main challenger, but this election exposed the consequences of a divided opposition.
The 2025 election results raised serious questions for both AAP and Congress:
For APP, the party, which once dominated Delhi politics, must rethink its strategy as BJP’s resurgence challenges its stronghold.
For Congress, the party has now gone through two elections without winning a single seat, making its future in Delhi uncertain.
While BJP celebrates a historic comeback in Delhi, the AAP-congress spit cost them a fight chance. If both parties had allied, the capital’s political landscape might have looked different today.
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a historic victory in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, winning 40 out of 70 seats. This marks the party’s first return to power in Delhi since 1998, signaling a major shift in the capital’s political landscape.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which dominated the previous 2020 elections with 62 seats, suffered a drastic, securing only 17 seats this time. The Indian National Congress (INC) continued its downfall, failing to win a single seat in the election.
A major upset in the election is the defeat of prominent AAP leaders, including party founder Arvind Kejriwal and deputy Manish Sisodia, both of whom lost their respective constituencies.
The election had a high voter turnout of over 60%, with more than 15 million eligible voters participating in shaping the future of Delhi’s governance. The results indicate a strong comeback for the BJP and a significant setback for AAP and Congress in the capital’s landscape.