Delhi Elections | BJP’s win over AAP brings cheer to Congress

AAP has been ousted from Delhi after being in power for 10 consecutive years, primarily on the same allegations it levelled against the Congress.

Strange as it may sound, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s victory in Delhi has brought cheer to the Congress camp. The grand old party is celebrating the ouster of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from the city-state that was once its citadel. One is reminded of a Hindi proverb ‘Begaani shaadi mei, Abdullah deewana’ to describe the Congress’ excitement over the BJP’s victory.

The Congress primarily holds AAP responsible for its electoral slide since 2013 not only in Delhi but nationally too due to a sustained anti-corruption campaign run by Arvind Kejriwal against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2011 onwards. Ironically, the AAP has been ousted from Delhi primarily on the same allegations after being in power for 10 consecutive years.

This is also the third consecutive time that the Congress has suffered decimation in Delhi, but it could take solace in the fact that its vote share has slightly increased from the 2020 elections.

While the grand old party had registered a vote share of 4.3 per cent in 2020, it secured 6.4 per cent this time. Since the emergence of AAP in Delhi's political landscape in 2012-2013, the traditional vote bank of the Congress had shifted to Kejriwal's party. In 2013, Kejriwal defeated Congress' three-term chief minister Sheila Dikshit from New Delhi, a seat he lost to BJP's Parvesh Verma this time, thanks mainly to her son Sandeep Dikshit.

The Congress fought the 2025 Delhi elections on Sheila Dikshit's model of governance and development. In fact, BJP leaders too praised Sheila Dikshit while comparing her development work to that of Kejriwal as Delhi chief minister.

Outside Delhi too AAP had taken away a substantial chunk of the anti-BJP vote, posing a major threat to the Congress. In 2022, AAP had comprehensively defeated the grand old party in Punjab, a reason why Congress leaders are celebrating the BJP's impressive win in Delhi. Strong resistance from its Punjab leaders forced the Congress leadership to decide against having any alliance with AAP in Delhi.

Initially, a section in the Congress and some constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) bloc favoured a tie-up with AAP. In the past, the two parties had twice joined hands — first in the 2013 Assembly elections in Delhi when they had a brief post-poll alliance, and then in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in which AAP contested from four and the Congress from three Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The Congress had also left one seat for AAP in Haryana.

Kejriwal managed to get the support of key I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders such as Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar, and Akhilesh Yadav, and the Congress visibly seemed isolated in the Opposition grouping. There was also talk of Banerjee taking over the leadership of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc and none other than Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad, who is close to the Gandhi family, endorsed the proposal.

However, that equation is likely to change now. After AAP’s loss, the Opposition is once again expected to rally behind the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, a glimpse of which was seen on February 7 when he along with Supriya Sule and Sanjay Raut addressed a joint news conference in Delhi’s Constitution Club on the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

The Congress now smells a chance to beat AAP in Punjab though the elections are two years away. Had AAP won Delhi, Kejriwal's party would have created trouble for the Congress in other states too, especially those where it was directly pitted against the BJP as seen in Goa, Gujarat, and Haryana in the past. All eyes are now on Punjab where the BJP will try everything to gain a foothold and emerge as a strong challenger to both the Congress and AAP with the Shiromani Akali Dal in disarray.

With the BJP registering an emphatic win in Delhi, the Congress will now have to evolve a comprehensive strategy to be back in the reckoning and it also remains to be seen if Kejriwal is now able to keep his flock together, especially in Punjab. A fragmented AAP is obviously good news for the Congress.

Aurangzeb Naqshbandi is a senior journalist who has been covering the Congress for 15 years, and is currently associated with Pixstory.

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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