The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) failed to secure a hat-trick in the Delhi Assembly elections, the results of which were declared on Friday. However, the Congress party managed to achieve its own hat-trick of sorts, maintaining a clean slate by failing to win a single seat for the third consecutive time, None of the Congress nominees could secure victory in any of the 70 constituencies at stake.
For the record, Congress finished third behind the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the AAP in 66 seats and faced the embarrassment of ending up in fourth place in three constituencies. The only consolation for the party was that one of its cándidates secured the second position in the Kasturba Nagar constituency, though after a significant drubbing of over 11,000 votes. The party's vote share, however, did increase by 2.10 per cent compared to its dismal performance in 2020 when it secured a mere 426 per cent of the votes — its worst ever showing in Delhi.
The fates of AAP and Congress seem to be intertwined. AAPS rise in 2013 marked the end of Congress’
15-year rule in the national capital. This was followed by AAP’s near-clean sweeps in the 2015 and 2020 Assembly elections, during which the party’s strength grew exponentially, while Congress hit new lows, failing to secure any representation in the Delhi Assembly.
This time, however, AAP faced a significant setback, losing 40 seats and managing to win only 22 constituencies. The party now has reasons to regret breaking its alliance with Congress that was
forged during last year’s Lok Sabha elections. In as many as 13 constituencies, AAP candidates, including its supremo Arvind Kejriwal, lost by margins smaller than the number of votes polled by Congress. While some may argue that an alliance could have changed the outcome, there is no guarantee that the committed voters of both parties would have transferred their votes to each other. After all, even during their alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, it did not happen, as the BJP swept all seven parliamentary seats in Delhi.
The Congress, on its part, has dismissed concerns about AAP’s defeat, asserting its primary duty as a political party is to reclaim its lost ground in the national capital. However, it would be naïve for AAP to blame Congress entirely for its poor performance. The party must introspect and identify the reasons for its decline, lest the Delhi outcome leads to its disintegration. AAP’s fate could mirror that of the Janata Party and Janata Dal, both of which emerged from people’s movements but eventually faded into political oblivion.
One of the key reasons for Delhi voters turning their backs on AAP, despite its lofty promises and freebies, is the party’s loss of credibility as a “party with a difference”. AAP came to power promising honest governance but soon found itself
embroiled in controversies, including the infamous 2022 liquor scam. Kejriwal, his former deputy Manish Sisodia, and several other leaders were arrested in connection with the scam. While they contested the elections when out on bail, the voters delivered their verdict even before the courts could decide their fate in the multi-crore scandal.
Barring the outgoing chief minister Atishi and senior minister Gopal Rai, the election results also saw the rejection of AAP’s top leadership. Alongside Kejriwal and Sisodia, other prominent leaders who faced defeat include Satyendar Jain, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Somnath Bharti, and Rakhi Birla. Kejriwal’s arrogance and overconfidence are also cited as factors that contributed to AAP’s downfall. His failure to fulfil election promises and his tendency to blame the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for his own shortcomings did not sit well with the electorate.
As Kejriwal finds himself with ample time – whether at home or in prison – to reflect on his political journey, he must realise that politics of confrontation politics is no passport to power. To stage a comeback, he will need to mend his ways and shed the taint of being perceived as yet another corrupt politician. The road ahead for AAP is fraught with challenges, and only a genuine course correction can help the party regain the trust of Delhi’s voters.
