Delhi Assembly Polls 2025: How Yamuna controversy sank AAP

New Delhi: The Yamuna factor seemingly played a significant role in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, reshaping voter sentiment and helping the BJP script history by defeating AAP.

A key driver of this shift was the backlash from Haryanvi-origin voters who viewed AAP's narrative on Yamuna pollution as an attack on their home state.

The BJP, which bagged 48 out of 70 sets, fielded 14 candidates of Haryanvi descent and 12 of them won. The Aam Aadmi Party had 10 such candidates but only four won.

In 13 constituencies with over 10 per cent Jat voters, the BJP secured 11 seats, a major reversal from 2020. The saffron party also dominated 12 out of 13 seats where Haryanvi-origin voters account for over five per cent of the electorate and won nine out of 11 seats bordering Haryana.

Flowing 52 kilometres through Delhi and passing through 15 constituencies, Yamuna has long been a symbol of environmental neglect.

Kejriwal had promised ahead of the Delhi elections in 2020 that he would clean Yamuna. Every year, as a thick layer of froth enveloped the river, especially around the Chhath festival when people offered prayers at its ghats, the AAP government was reminded of its unfulfilled promise.

When the BJP stepped up its attack on the issue of Yamuna pollution during the election campaign, Kejriwal alleged that BJP-ruled Haryana had "poisoned" the river water to harm the people of Delhi. His remarks triggered a massive controversy as the BJP swiftly turned it into an emotional issue, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling it an "insult to Haryana and all Indians".

While AAP later clarified that Kejriwal was referring to the rising ammonia level in the river water coming from Haryana, his remarks backfired politically.

Modi's counterattack -- asking whether Haryana's people would poison water consumed by their own families in Delhi -- resonated deeply and helped BJP consolidate its voter base, according to BJP leaders.

"When he failed to clean up the Yamuna, he said its water from the Haryana side was being poisoned. This statement has cost him very dear. If he had not made such a statement, his party would have won 5-7 seats more," Union minister and former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said.

"More than 40 per cent of Delhi's residents are from Haryana. This statement insulted people of Haryana and Delhi," Khattar said on Sunday.

In 2020, AAP had dominated the Yamuna belt, winning 13 out of 15 seats, but this time, the BJP flipped nine of them. AAP's total tally was reduced to 22 from 62.

Instead of strengthening AAP's position, the party's messaging on Yamuna pollution was overshadowed by BJP's counter-narrative and promises of tangible action.

BJP leaders Amit Shah and Manoj Tiwari further reinforced the party's position by announcing a dedicated 'Yamuna Kosh' fund and promising a Sabarmati-style Yamuna Riverfront project to transform the riverbanks into an eco-friendly urban space.

This approach allowed the BJP to present itself as both the protector of Haryana's honour and the party with a concrete vision for the Yamuna's revival.

AAP's losses were not just limited to the Yamuna belt.

The party suffered a significant decline in rural and semi-urban areas, particularly in outer Delhi, where BJP flipped 10 seats that AAP had won in 2020. AAP's vote share in these regions dropped by an estimated 8-12 per cent, as per early analysis.

AAP had entered the election seeking a third consecutive term, banking on its governance record and promises of cleaning the Yamuna. However, this election showed how a single environmental issue, if mishandled, can become a political liability.

With the BJP now in power in Delhi for the first time in 26 years, its promises of cleaning the Yamuna and developing the riverfront will be closely watched.

After the Delhi victory, Prime Minister Modi on Saturday addressed party workers with an invocation to Yamuna, noting how the revered river had been "insulted" by AAP.

"Delhi has flourished in the lap of 'Ma Yamuna'. The people of Delhi are pained by Yamuna ji's plight but Delhi's AAP-da hurt their faith... For their own failure, they levelled such a grave accusation against the people of Haryana...

"I have pledged during the election campaign that we will make Yamuna ji the identity of Delhi. ... No matter how much time it takes, no matter how much energy it requires, but if the resolve is strong, then blessings of Yamuna ji will remain with us," he said.

Delhi assembly elections 2025 results | Get all latest updates here

Delhi assembly elections 2025 results | Get constituency-wise details here

Delhi Assembly Election 2025 | The Delhi Assembly Elections saw a fierce contest between AAP and BJP, while Congress despite its best attempts failed to make a mark. The saffron party is all set to make a comeback in the national capital after almost three decades as AAP chief Kejriwal has accepted the people's verdict and looks to be part of a constructive opposition. Reactions from all quarters are pouring in as BJP celebrates its first electoral win in 2025, with Bihar polls slated to take place later this year. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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