How AAP got swept away

PARTY'S DEBACLE A COCKTAIL OF VARIOUS FACTORS

- AIMAN FATIMA

In a stunning political turnaround, the BJP claimed victory in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, ending a 27-year wait to wrest power from the AAP. The results marked a dramatic shift in the capital's political landscape. The AAP, which had dominated the previous two elections in 2015 and 2020, saw its vote share dip by nearly 10 percentage points. While the defeat was a blow for the party, several factors contributed to AAP's downfall. Here is a low-down on those factors:

AAP's big losses

Kejriwal lost the New Delhi seat, with Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma securing 30,088 votes and Kejriwal 25,999. Voter registration dropped by 37,558, from 1,46,122 in 2020 to 1,08,564 in 2025. Kejriwal's votes fell by 20,000 compared to 2020. High voter deletions occurred in areas like Kali Bari Marg, Sarojini Nagar, and Sunehri Bagh Lane due to demolitions and relocations, especially affecting AAP supporters. Additionally, the BJP's outreach to Valmikis and Pahadis, along with the 2025 budget, helped boost their chances.

Furthermore, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia lost to BJP's Tarvinder Singh Marwah by just 600 votes in Jangpura. Saurabh Bharadwaj also lost the Greater Kailash seat to BJP's Shikha Roy, who won by around 3,000 votes. Roy received 49,370 votes, while Bharadwaj got 46,231 votes, finishing second. Congress' Garvit Singhvi came third with 6,677 votes.