Results of the Delhi Assembly Election 2025 have been declared. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a majority, winning 48 out of 70 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) obtained 22 seats, with its prominent leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, losing their respective constituencies. Congress gets duck again- third time in a row both in parliamentary and Assembly elections in Delhi. The party candidates lost their deposits in 67 out of 70 seats- a record of sorts.
Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 concluded on February 5, with an overall voter turnout of 60.42%. BJP emerged as the dominant force securing a vote share of 45.56% while AAP got 43.57% of votes polled. Congress party got a mere 6.38% vote share. This statistics is not just of academic worth. Its significance lies in the larger message emanating from this important election. The overriding meaningful message, if any, from this Delhi election is for the political parties. In my opinion the missive is ‘perform or perish’.
Decade of Decline
AAP started its ruling spree in Delhi in 2015 with 67 seats and popular vote share of 54.3 per cent. Compared to this BJP then got only three seats and a vote share of 32.3 per cent. Congress at distant third place had no seats but its vote share was 9.7 per cent. In 2020, the Aam Aadmi Party had won 62 seats with a vote share of 53.57 per cent. The BJP won 8 seats and a popular vote share of 38.51 per cent. Congress party not only failed to win any seat its vote share also plumed to lowest ever- humiliating 4.26 per cent. Going by these numbers one thing that is noticeable is the steady decline of AAP after its sudden rise in 2015.
Drop for AAP was not in numbers only. Descent was in the politics of the party and its image also. Aam Aadmi Party was designed in 2012 after a very popular India Against Corruption (IAC) movement under the leadership of renowned social leader Anna Hazare. In the beginning Arvind Kejriwal worked as a protégé of more popular and inspiring Anna Hazare but he soon over grew his leader and altered from an activist to a politician against his leader’s wishes.
People in fact define that as the start point of betrayal of people’s Trust. Revolution, alternate/new politics, cleaning of the system all that echoed from Ram Lilla Maidan began to fade away. Colleagues of IAC movement of Anna Hazare were shelved systematically and the main plank of IAC that was the key demand of the movement –JAN LOKPAL was abandoned.
Similarly the symbols of degenerated political and administrative set up like VIP culture – Huge Bungalows, car cavalcades with Red Lights, massive security setup became integral to the leaders who swore publicly not to use them. Worst was yet to come. Taints of corruption with undeniable confirmations proved to be the proverbial last nail in the coffin.
Perception was patently clear that they are no different. In fact people felt betrayed as hopes and expectations were raised too high. Credibility gap became unbridgeable. Even the core constituency of the party and leaders could not digest this deception.
Impractical promises & under delivery
Politics of Freebies in India is not a new phenomenon. It dates back to 1947 when India that is Bharat became independent. We have witnessed it in one or the other way in Jammu and Kashmir also.
But let us first be clear about the term and its difference from welfare schemes. Freebies are short-term, populist measures without a long-term vision. They differ from welfare measures. The RBI has defined freebies as “a public welfare measure that is provided free of charge”. It has distinguished freebies from long-term welfare measures.
Without going into legalities of freebies as the Supreme Court is hearing challenges against the practice of offering and distributing freebies during election campaigns. The Court’s decision, when it comes, will determine how political parties contest elections in future.
There is a debate over the subject particularly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed what he termed as “Revdi Culture”. “People of revdi culture feel that by distributing free revdis to people, they can buy them. Together we need to defeat this thinking. Revdi culture needs to be removed from the country’s politics,” he said in 2022.
Experts also underscore the need to shift from competitive populism to fostering meaningful economic opportunities. Any efforts at regulating electoral sops should, however, remain the legislature’s prerogative. Use of freebies to win elections at any cost without caring a thought for its consequences later on is of recent origin. But with the passage of time people are now questioning and evaluating this unfair tactic of enticing voters on several counts.
Result, not Reasons
Legal aspects notwithstanding, voters now have a fair amount of experience of promises made during election campaigns by different political parties. That they are not easily swayed away by these promises anymore is elaborately evident from election results in the recent past in different states. Delhi election results have further reaffirmed this growing trend.
People want results. No more reasons for inability to fulfill the promises. Promise what you can deliver and deliver what you promise, they say. There is also this developing consciousness about the indirect cost of false promises. Social media has played a vital role in this regard. Political leaders are in no position to deny what they have said or promised. In fact social media enthusiasts dig out past recordings and confront parties and leaders with evidence.
Cleaning of Yamuna in Delhi is just one example in this regard. Clean-Yamuna promise of AAP and Arvind Kejriwal in person dominated a better part of the election campaign in Delhi. So was the diabolic laughter of AAP leaders during a debate on the floor of the Assembly in Delhi.
No one can claim that the election outcome was the result of one or two issues. Several factors are responsible for how different political parties perform in any given election. But one can assertively emphasize that promise vs performance of parties in power do play a crucial role. This in other words is pro or anti-incumbency in favour or against the ruling party.
Impact on J&K
Jammu Kashmir will surely be impacted by the outcome of Delhi Assembly elections. The comment by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on social media platform X is one discernible bearing. “Aur lado aapas mein!!! (Keep on fighting each other),” Omar posted on X with a meme. He tried to mock at the INDI bloc leaders for not putting up a joint fight in the Delhi assembly elections. In Jammu Kashmir he is doing exactly the same.
The comment can be interpreted in different ways including a depressed observation on INDI Alliance of which NC continues to be a part. But the ripple effect will be on the government. People are already disenchanted with the under performance of the present regime in Jammu Kashmir. The NC government of Omar Abdullah has failed to keep even a single promise made during the election campaign.
More painful for people in general and NC supporters in particular are the nature and tune of excuses made for the inability of this government to deliver. Time is not far away when this disenchantment will be expressed through ballot and NC may face what AAP faced in Delhi. Someone will remind Omar of his jibe.
(Author is a former Member of the Legislative Council of Jammu Kashmir and spokesperson of BJP JK-UT)
