BJP Sweeps Delhi, AAP Faces Existential Crisis

New Delhi: After a 27-year hiatus, the national capital is once again draped in saffron. Burdened by corruption charges and accusations of prioritising luxury over welfare and hit by a nearly 10 per cent negative swing, the Aam Aadmi Party finally lost its decade-long grip on Delhi. While the BJP headed towards a landslide victory with 48 seats, the AAP was struggling to cross 22. The rest of the rivals, including the Congress, drew a blank.

By losing Delhi, the AAP could be teetering on the edge of an existential crisis with its front-benchers, including party supremo and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, and Satyendar Jain and Saurabh Bharadwaj biting the dust.

The face-saver for the party was Delhi chief minister Atishi’s victory by a narrow margin of 3,500 votes after a roller-coaster contest. Acknowledging that the outcome was a “setback”, Ms Atishi said that the “fight against the BJP will continue”. With most of the top brass decimated, Ms Atishi could emerge as Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly. Conceding defeat, Mr Kejriwal said his party “will play the role of a constructive Opposition”.

As the BJP heads towards a landslide victory, the race for the post of chief minister is all set to intensify within the party. Speculation is rife that the BJP could go for a woman or a Dalit candidate for the top post. Others in the race include Parvesh Verma, who defeated Arvind Kejriwal by over 4,000 votes, former Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay and Leader of the Opposition Vijendra Gupta.

Hailing the victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X: “Jan shakti (people’s power) is paramount. Development wins, good governance triumphs. I bow to my dear sisters and brothers of Delhi for this resounding and historic mandate to the BJP. We are humbled and honoured to receive these blessings. It is our guarantee that we will leave no stone unturned in developing Delhi, improving the overall quality of life for people and ensuring that Delhi has a prime role to play in building Viksit Bharat.” To his party workers, Mr Modi said: “I am so proud of each and every BJP karyakarta, who worked very hard, leading to this outstanding result. We will work even more vigorously and serve the wonderful people of Delhi.”

Union home minister Amit Shah said: “The reign of lies has ended in Delhi. The BJP is determined to make Delhi the world’s number one capital under PM Modi’s leadership.”

For the Congress, the situation is worsening by the day. The party’s brief spark of success in the Lok Sabha polls has been completely overshadowed by a series of crushing electoral defeats over the past few months. Repeating its past performance, the Congress yet again drew a blank in Delhi.

At the national level, while the victory in Delhi further consolidates the BJP’s dominance in the Hindi heartland, the AAP’s defeat could now jeopardise its last remaining bastion -- Punjab. With Punjab going to the polls in 2027, the BJP and the Akali Dal could now recalibrate their strategy to take the state back from the AAP. Another major challenge for Mr Kejriwal is to keep his flock together in both Delhi and Punjab. Rumours have begun circulating that AAP legislators in both states are in “touch” with the BJP.

The BJP’s return to power in Delhi after over two decades has also dealt a severe blow to the Opposition INDIA bloc and could provide the NDA a significant edge in Bihar, which is set to go to the polls later this year.

Meanwhile, the results are expected to weaken the Congress’ role as leader of the INDIA bloc. Similar to Haryana, the INDIA bloc allies Congress and AAP once again failed to come together in Delhi, leading to another humiliating electoral debacle. Not only did the AAP and Congress failed to forge an alliance in Delhi, but other INDIA bloc allies, Trinamul Congress and Samajwadi Party, pulled apart and backed Mr Kejriwal against the Congress. The AAP’s defeat was also due to Congress candidates cutting into its vote share in at least 14 seats, which eventually helped the BJP to win these seats.

In sharp contrast, the BJP-led NDA presented a united front, while the RSS intensified its ground-level efforts across the national capital. In the run-up to the polls, the RSS reportedly conducted over two lakh drawing room meetings to “educate voters”.

All eyes are now on AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, whose own defeat significantly weakens his position within the party. Mr Kejriwal, who has been trying to position himself as the face of the Opposition with Punjab under his control, may now need to reinvent himself.

Over the past few years, the AAP chief has distanced himself from the minority community while mimicking the BJP’s majoritarian approach. As a result, the AAP lost a major chunk of its Muslim voter base. Lacking a clear ideological direction, Mr Kejriwal could soon find himself at the political crossroads. In a video message, Mr Kejriwal said: “We accept the mandate of the people with great humility. I congratulate the BJP for this victory... We will not only play the role of a constructive Opposition but will also remain among the people and continue to serve them.”