In his very first election campaign rally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a “disaster” (“Aapda”) for Delhi. A month later, it appears that Delhi’s voters took Modi’s message seriously, rejecting Kejriwal’s AAP and embracing the BJP. After 10 years of AAP rule, the saffron party has regained control of Delhi for the first time in 27 years. Now, just like at the Centre, the BJP holds power in the national capital as well. Kejriwal, who once identified himself as the ‘Aam Aadmi’ (common man), has now been reduced to exactly that—an ordinary citizen, as he not only lost the Chief Minister’s seat earlier but is now no longer even an MLA.
Delhi, a Union Territory with 70 assembly seats, requires 36 seats to form a government. The BJP, however, secured a decisive victory with 48 seats. Prime Minister Modi expressed his gratitude to the people of Delhi for eliminating the “disaster” (AAP) from governance.
Born from an anti-corruption movement, Kejriwal’s political career has not just been tainted by corruption allegations—he has now faced a crushing electoral defeat. His loss is the biggest setback for AAP, as he was defeated in the New Delhi constituency by the BJP’s probable Chief Ministerial candidate, Pravesh Verma, by a margin of 4,089 votes. Kejriwal had been winning this seat since 2013. His key aides, including Manish Sisodia and Saurabh Bharadwaj, also lost their seats. Sisodia was defeated by BJP’s Arvinder Singh Marwah in Jungpura by 572 votes, while Bharadwaj lost in Greater Kailash to BJP’s Shikha Roy by 3,188 votes. Amid these heavyweight losses, AAP barely managed to retain some dignity, with Chief Minister Atishi securing victory in Kalkaji against BJP’s controversial candidate Ramesh Bidhuri.
Following this humiliating defeat, Kejriwal released a video message acknowledging the public’s verdict. He stated that AAP did not enter politics for power but for service and promised that the party would now play a constructive role in the opposition.
Despite AAP’s claims of providing clean and transparent governance, its defeat was comprehensive. The BJP secured 45.56% of the votes and a majority in Delhi, while AAP, despite securing 43.57% of the votes, managed to win only 22 seats. Meanwhile, Congress, with 6.34% of the vote share, suffered another humiliating ‘zero-seat’ outcome for the third consecutive time. In 2020, AAP had won 62 out of 70 seats with a vote share of 53.57%. This time, its vote share dropped by 10%, costing the party 40 seats. In contrast, the BJP, which had won just 8 seats with 38.51% of the votes in 2020, saw an 8% rise in its vote share, resulting in a gain of 40 additional seats. Congress, which had received 4.26% of the vote in 2020, saw a slight increase of 2.12%, but this only contributed to AAP’s seat losses.
How RSS Helped BJP’s Victory
While BJP’s efforts played a crucial role in its victory, the contribution of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cannot be overlooked. Over the past few years, the RSS held 50,000 small meetings in Delhi, each attended by a limited number of people, but effectively communicating key issues. These meetings focused on ten specific topics: sanitation, clean drinking water, healthcare, women’s safety, road infrastructure, cleaning the Yamuna River, air pollution, the issue of illegal immigrants, public toilets, and employment. The impact of these meetings played a significant role in BJP’s success.
Key Reasons for AAP’s Defeat
- Failure to Fulfill Promises: Kejriwal’s inability to deliver on his electoral promises is widely believed to be the biggest reason behind AAP’s downfall. His promise of free benefits for women voters, which was legally unfeasible, further hurt his credibility.
- Middle-Class Shift to BJP: The middle class, which had supported BJP in national elections but AAP in state elections, turned its back on Kejriwal this time. This voter segment, including chartered accountants, doctors, government employees, and businessmen, played a crucial role in AAP’s loss.
- Lack of Coordination with Congress: The lack of a political alliance between AAP and Congress also worked against Kejriwal. In 65 constituencies, Congress candidates lost their deposits, but their participation still cut into AAP’s vote share.
- Urban Governance Issues: AAP’s victory in the 2022 MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) elections backfired as citizens blamed the party for deteriorating infrastructure, broken roads, poor sanitation, and water shortages. Delhi voters saw no distinction between MCD’s failures and the Delhi government’s shortcomings.
- Corruption Allegations: Kejriwal’s image as a ‘common man’ suffered due to allegations regarding his extravagant renovation of the Chief Minister’s residence, labeled as the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ (Glass Palace) controversy. His failure to convincingly defend himself further eroded public trust. Moreover, the liquor policy scandal convinced many voters that Kejriwal was not above corruption, making it one of the key reasons for AAP’s electoral collapse.