Bharatiya Janata Party Wins Delhi Elections in Major Upset for Opposition

A pro-BJP rally takes place in Delhi during the 2015 assembly elections. BJP supporters and party leaders have long sought to gain a foothold in Delhi, but electoral success in the city eluded them until this month. (Wikimedia Commons)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clinched a decisive victory in Delhi’s legislative assembly elections on February 5, defeating the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, the BBC reports. Al-Jazeera writes that the results are a major blow to India’s embattled opposition, ending nearly three decades of non-BJP rule in the nation’s capital region.

The Times of India reports that the BJP won 48 out of 70 seats in Delhi’s legislative assembly, surpassing the 36-seat minimum required to form a government. The AAP lost a total of 40 seats, including that of top party leader and former Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal. The Indian National Congress, once the dominant party in Delhi and broader politics, failed to win any seats for the third cycle in a row.

According to the BBC, the BJP’s sudden ascent in Delhi has its roots in increasing voter disillusionment with the AAP. The AAP (Hindi for “Common Man’s Party”) was formed in 2011 under the leadership of anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal, who campaigned on a platform of anti-corruption and middle-class welfare. In the fourteen years since, the AAP has emerged as one of North India’s key parties, retaining power in the National Capital Territory almost consecutively since the 2013 legislative elections. 

In the early years of its tenure, the AAP achieved high-profile policy and electoral successes, overhauling the city’s government schools, electricity systems, and primary healthcare services, per The Times of India and The New Indian Express. Delhi voters overwhelmingly endorsed the party’s mandate in subsequent legislative assembly elections, including as recently as five years ago—the AAP swept the 2020 elections, winning 62 out of 70 seats, CNN reported. Despite being a relative political newcomer, the party also enjoyed electoral victories outside of Delhi, expanding its rule to nearby Punjab in the 2022 state assembly elections, according to The Quint. These successes seemingly cemented the AAP’s status as an up-and-coming national force.

In recent years, however, the AAP’s popularity has waned among Delhiites. The Deccan Herald reports that the party’s signature welfare programs, particularly in education and healthcare, did not stand the test of time. Sambad reports that chronic operational issues, including drug and staffing shortages, have severely impaired Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics, a free primary care service aimed at the urban poor. On the education front, drop-out rates among upper-level students rose by nearly 10 percentage points between the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years, per The Times of India. 

Per The New York Times, headline-grabbing issues have also persisted under the AAP’s leadership. Delhi’s air pollution levels continue to rank among the worst in the world, and safe drinking water is in increasingly short supply due to extreme river contamination. Infrastructure remains an issue for residents, with poor road conditions regularly obstructing transportation. The AAP has also faced criticism for its muted response to the communal violence that occurred in Delhi in 2020.

In addition to policy shortcomings, Arvind Kejriwal and the wider AAP faced two major scandals in the lead-up to the elections. First, India’s federal financial crimes division, the BJP-led Enforcement Directorate (ED), arrested Kejriwal shortly before the 2024 general elections, alleging corruption, as AP News reported. The charges were highly controversial, with critics and opposition leaders roundly condemning them as politically motivated. Citing the timing of the case, they argued that Kejriwal’s arrest was part of a larger BJP crackdown against political opponents. According to the BBC, Kejriwal eventually left prison on bail and resigned as chief minister to demonstrate integrity, saying that he would “receive justice from the people’s court” in the February elections. Nonetheless, prominent activist Anna Haraze argued in the Hindustan Times that the incident dented the AAP’s image as the party of anti-corruption. 

In a further blow to the AAP’s reputation, a second scandal emerged in late 2024 regarding the official Delhi Chief Minister’s residence, 6 Flagstaff Bungalow, as the Hindustan Times and Mint reported. Luxurious renovations to the bungalow started under Kejriwal, who inhabited the home until his October 2024 resignation, racking up exorbitant sums of public funds. The BJP has accused Kejriwal of misusing taxpayer money and violating building norms to construct a “sheesh mahal,” or ultra-lavish residence, for his own use. The claims, which are currently under investigation, undermined Kejriwal’s longtime persona as a “man of the people,” fuelling anti-incumbency sentiment.

The BJP capitalized on these failures throughout a highly targeted campaign, framing itself as the party of change, per BBC and the Deccan Herald. Analysts credit the party’s immense financial resources, political prowess, and welfare-oriented messaging, including recent tax cuts for the middle class, as additional contributors to its success. 

The BJP’s win is particularly consequential, given that Delhi has long represented a major opposition linchpin. While Modi’s party achieved major electoral successes in other states, as reported by the New York Times, Delhi long eluded it. The BJP’s recent victory thus raises fundamental questions about the future of opposition efforts––not only for the AAP but also for other anti-BJP parties.