NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal‘s dream run in Delhi has come to an end. After two sweeping victories – in 2015 and 2020 – Kejriwal’s AAP has been swept out of power in the 2025 assembly elections. The BJP has finally managed to breach Kejriwal’s Delhi fortress to regain power after a gap of 27 years. The former Delhi chief minister, who was out on bail in the excise policy case, ran a very aggressive campaign against the BJP and also targeted the Congress.
Delhi Election Results 2025
So, why did Kejriwal lose? Here’s a look at some of the tricks that failed to click for the AAP chief.
Resignation to take moral high ground on corruption charges
Arvind Kejriwal, who was out on bail in the excise policy case, resigned as chief minister of Delhi in September 2024, months ahead of elections to take a high moral ground on the issue of corruption.”I am ready for Agni Pariksha. Two days later, I will resign as chief minister. I will not sit on that chair till the people announce their verdict,” Kejriwal had said at the time of resignation.
Kejriwal, who had refused to resign even when he was in jail, eventually gave up his chair amid turmoil faced by him in the Delhi excise policy case. Several top leaders, including Kejriwal himself, faced accusations of accepting bribes from liquor companies in exchange for favorable policies. Eventually, several AAP leaders were jailed in connection with the case.
Excessive negative campaign against BJP
Kejriwal’s claim to fame in his first two terms was his transparent and pro-people governance model. The AAP chief claimed credit for transforming Delhi’s government schools and his Mohalla clinics provided cheap medicare to the poor. In the 2020 elections, Kejriwal sought votes for his work and AAP campaign centred around the change it had brought to the lives of the people. However, this time around AAP’s campaign was centred around its attacks on the BJP leadership and the Congress. Kejriwal, who along with top AAP leadership faced several corruption charges, focused less on development and governance narratives. He called BJP “Gali Galauj Party.”
Genocide claim: BJP trying to poison Yamuna
In the middle of the campaign, Kejriwal dropped a bombshell as he accused the BJP-led Haryana government of poisoning the Yamuna waters to kill people of Delhi. Kejriwal’s charges gave a toxic turn to Delhi campaign with both BJP and Congress going all out against the AAP chief. At the end, as the results show – the people of Delhi were not swayed by his “concerns” for them.
Middle class manifesto: No promises, just demands
Arvind Kejriwal tried to woo the middle class by unveiling his party’s manifesto for them. He claimed that the middle class were ignored by successive governments and accused other political parties of treating them as “just an ATM for the government”. Ironically though, Kejriwal’s manifesto did not mention what he would do for the middle class if voted to power but only listed seven demands from the Centre to improve their lives. Little wonder, at the end the Centre’s sops for the middle class in the Uunion Budget appealed more to Delhi voters than the AAP’s demands.
Offence is best defence: Politics of confrontation
Confrontation has been a part of Kejriwal’s politics right from the beginning. This time around it was no different. Right through his campaign, Kejriwal trained his guns at Delhi Police and the Election Commission. Kejriwal accused the Election Commission and Delhi Police of colluding with the BJP to subvert the electoral process and prevent AAP from campaigning. Kejriwal targeted Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and alleged that he “wants a job post-retirement” and was “destroying the country” for the post. Kejriwal’s decision to take on the Congress along with the BJP boomeranged as on several seats, AAP’s margin of defeat is less than the votes polled by the Congress candidate. Both Kejriwal and Rahul made relentless attacks against each other giving an opportunity to mock the allies-turned-rivals and take digs at opposition unity.
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