Delhi election showdown: AAP’s fortress tested as BJP eyes historic comeback
New Delhi: The Delhi election result will be declared on Saturday, determining whether Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will retain its stronghold and form the government for a fourth term or if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will make a comeback in the national Capital after nearly three decades.
The counting of votes commenced at 8 am across all 70 Assembly constituencies.
Several exit polls have given the BJP an edge over the AAP, which has held power in Delhi since 2015. According to exit poll predictions, the BJP is expected to win at least 45 to 55 of Delhi’s 70 seats, while the ruling AAP is projected to suffer major losses.
Meanwhile, the Congress, which is hoping to secure some gains after drawing a blank in the last two elections, is likely to win only one seat.
The AAP has steadily been establishing its dominance on Delhi’s political map over the past two elections. In the 2013 Assembly elections, the BJP, emerging as the single-largest party, bagged 31 seats — five seats short of the required majority in the 70-member house.
The AAP and the Congress, with 28 and eight seats respectively joined forces to form a government that lasted only 49 days, after which a President’s Rule was imposed in the national Capital.
In 2015, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party achieved an overwhelming victory by winning 67 out of 70 seats, while the BJP managed to win three seats, and the Congress could not even open its account.
In 2020, the AAP once again delivered a stellar performance by capturing 62 out of the 70 Assembly seats. The BJP improved its tally by winning eight seats, while the Congress — which had ruled Delhi between 1998 and 2013 — failed to win any seats.
For the 2025 Delhi Assembly election, the main political contenders remain the AAP, BJP, and Congress.
In the New Delhi constituency, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of the AAP is facing former West Delhi MP Parvesh Sahib Singh from the BJP and former Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit.
In the Kalkaji constituency, Chief Minister Atishi of the AAP is contesting against former South Delhi BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress’ Alka Lamba. In Malviya Nagar, AAP’s Somnath Bharti is up against BJP’s Satish Upadhyay and Congress’ Jitendra Kumar Kochar.
In Patparganj, a known stronghold of AAP veteran Manish Sisodia, the party has fielded Awadh Ojha as its candidate against BJP’s Ravinder Singh Negi and the Congress’ Anil Chaudhary.
With the vote count already underway and exit polls favouring a BJP surge, the Delhi election is poised to be a landmark contest that could reshape the national Capital’s political landscape.
The final outcome, set to be unveiled on Saturday, will reveal whether the AAP can continue its long-standing dominance or if a dramatic power shift is on the horizon.