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The 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly election is set to take place on 5 February 2025, with polling conducted across all 70 constituencies. The results will be announced on 8 February 2025.
The last Delhi Assembly elections were held in February 2020, leading to a landslide victory for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which subsequently formed the state government.
Arvind Kejriwal assumed office as Chief Minister for a third consecutive term. However, on 21 September 2024, Kejriwal resigned following his arrest on corruption charges, and Atishi Marlena was sworn in as the new Chief Minister. The tenure of the 7th Delhi Assembly will officially end on 15 February 2025.
As we gear up for the elections, let’s have a look at the result of past two Delhi elections.
2015 Delhi Assembly Election: A Comprehensive Analysis
The 2015 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections were held on February 7, 2015, and the results were declared on February 10, 2015. This election was a major political event, primarily contested between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Indian National Congress (INC).
The results were historic, with the AAP winning an unprecedented landslide victory, securing 67 out of 70 seats and forming the government with an overwhelming majority.
Election Results: Party-wise Breakdown
Party Seats Won Vote Share (%)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 67 54.3%
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 3 32.2%
Indian National Congress (INC) 0 9.7%
Others (Including Independents) 0 3.8%
Total seats: 70
Majority mark: 36
Voter turnout: 67.1%
Key Highlights of the 2015 Delhi Election Results
AAP’s Historic Victory: Winning 67 out of 70 seats, AAP secured 95.7% of the total seats—one of the biggest landslide victories in Indian electoral history.
BJP’s Massive Defeat: The ruling party at the Center, BJP, was reduced to just 3 seats despite a strong campaign.
Congress’ Total Collapse: INC, which had ruled Delhi for 15 years (1998-2013), failed to win a single seat.
High Voter Turnout: At 67.1%, voter participation reflected strong public interest in the elections.
Factors Behind AAP’s Landslide Victory
The Aam Aadmi Party, led by Arvind Kejriwal, won primarily due to:
Strong Grassroots Connect
AAP’s campaign focused on door-to-door engagement, interacting directly with voters and addressing their concerns.
Pro-Poor and Middle-Class Policies
AAP promised:
Free water supply (up to 20,000 liters per household)
Electricity subsidies
Improved healthcare and education
Anti-Corruption and Clean Image
AAP built its campaign on transparency and governance, attracting voters frustrated with corruption in traditional parties.
Failure of BJP’s Strategy
Despite its stronghold in national politics, BJP’s last-minute decision to project Kiran Bedi as the CM candidate backfired. She was seen as an outsider and lacked grassroots appeal.
Congress’ Decline
Congress suffered from:
Loss of credibility due to corruption allegations (Commonwealth Games, 2G scam, etc.)
Failure to retain its traditional voter base, which shifted to AAP
BJP’s Setback: What Went Wrong?
Despite securing 32.2% of the vote share, BJP only won 3 seats. Key reasons:
Kiran Bedi’s Unpopularity: She lacked public connect and was seen as an imposed leader.
Over-Reliance on Modi’s Popularity: The party failed to present a strong local leader.
Negative Campaigning Against AAP: BJP’s attacks on AAP did not resonate with voters, who were looking for solutions to daily life problems.
Congress’ Worst Performance Ever
The Indian National Congress (INC), which ruled Delhi for three consecutive terms (1998-2013), faced:
Total collapse, winning 0 seats
A mere 9.7% vote share, down from 24.6% in 2013
Loss of traditional voter base, shifting towards AAP
INC’s lack of leadership, outdated strategies, and failure to address public grievances led to this downfall.
Key Takeaways from the 2015 Delhi Elections
? AAP became the dominant political force in Delhi.
? BJP’s national popularity did not translate into local success.
? Congress became irrelevant in Delhi politics.
? People prioritized local issues like water, electricity, healthcare, and education over nationalistic rhetoric.
Formation of the New Delhi Government
Following the historic win, Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as Chief Minister on February 14, 2015, at Ramlila Maidan.
AAP’s Key Focus Areas Post-Victory
Education Reforms – Improving government schools
Mohalla Clinics – Affordable healthcare for all
Public Transport Upgrades – Better connectivity and safety
Reduction in Corruption – Ensuring transparency in governance
The 2015 Delhi elections marked a political revolution, proving that a strong, issue-based campaign can defeat established political giants. AAP’s landslide victory demonstrated the power of grassroots mobilization and people-centric policies.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s overconfidence and Congress’ decline reshaped Delhi’s political landscape, solidifying AAP as the dominant force in the capital.
2020 Delhi Assembly Election: A Detailed Analysis
The 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections were held on February 8, 2020, with results declared on February 11, 2020. The elections were primarily contested between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Indian National Congress (INC).
For the second consecutive time, AAP secured a landslide victory, winning 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP improved slightly but still lagged behind with 8 seats. The Congress failed to win a single seat for the second election in a row.
Election Results: Party-wise Breakdown
Party Seats Won Vote Share (%)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 62 53.57%
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 8 38.51%
Indian National Congress (INC) 0 4.26%
Others (Including Independents) 0 3.66%
Total seats: 70
Majority mark: 36
Voter turnout: 62.59%
Key Highlights of the 2020 Delhi Election Results
AAP’s Second Consecutive Landslide Victory
Won 62 out of 70 seats, slightly less than 67 seats in 2015, but still a dominant majority.
BJP’s Minor Gains but Continued Struggles
Increased seat count from 3 in 2015 to 8 in 2020, but still far from forming a government.
Congress’ Total Collapse for the Second Time
Zero seats, worse than even its 2015 performance.
Vote share fell to just 4.26%, showing the party’s complete irrelevance in Delhi politics.
Arvind Kejriwal’s Popularity Remained High
Kejriwal’s governance model, focused on education, healthcare, and free utilities, resonated strongly with voters.
Why AAP Won the 2020 Delhi Elections?
Focus on Governance and Development
AAP’s campaign revolved around local governance issues such as:
Quality Education – Improvement of government schools
Mohalla Clinics – Free healthcare services
Free Electricity & Water – 200 units of free electricity and free water supply
Women’s Safety – Free bus rides for women in Delhi
Strong Campaign Led by Arvind Kejriwal
Kejriwal projected himself as a work-oriented leader rather than indulging in political attacks.
His “Kaam ki Rajneeti” (politics of work) slogan resonated with voters.
BJP’s Overreliance on Nationalism & Polarization
BJP’s campaign focused more on nationalistic issues, like CAA protests and Shaheen Bagh, rather than local governance.
The “Modi factor” worked in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but failed in the 2020 Delhi elections, as voters prioritized local issues.
Congress’ Complete Irrelevance
Congress failed to even be a serious competitor, losing all its seats and its vote share dropping further.
Lack of strong leadership and organizational presence in Delhi contributed to its downfall.
BJP’s Setback: What Went Wrong?
Despite securing a 38.51% vote share, BJP only won 8 seats. The main reasons for BJP’s poor performance were:
Over-focus on National Issues – BJP emphasized Hindutva, anti-CAA protests, and nationalism instead of local governance.
No CM Face – Unlike AAP, BJP did not project a Chief Ministerial candidate, relying entirely on PM Narendra Modi’s popularity.
Negative Campaigning – BJP launched aggressive personal attacks on Kejriwal, calling him a terrorist, which backfired.
Congress’ Worst Performance Ever
The Indian National Congress (INC) faced:
Zero seats, repeating its 2015 debacle.
Vote share plummeted to 4.26%, making it a non-factor in Delhi politics.
Failure to connect with young voters, who either supported AAP or BJP.
Absence of strong leadership, leading to loss of traditional voter base.
Key Takeaways from the 2020 Delhi Elections
AAP’s governance model was the key to its victory.
BJP’s nationalistic campaign did not resonate with local voters.
Congress became politically irrelevant in Delhi.
Voters prioritized development over religious and ideological narratives.
Formation of the New Delhi Government
Following the victory, Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as Chief Minister for the third time on February 16, 2020, at Ramlila Maidan.
AAP’s Key Focus Areas Post-Victory
Education reforms – More improvements in Delhi’s public schools
Healthcare expansion – More Mohalla Clinics
Public Transport – Better metro and bus services
Electricity & Water – Continuation of free electricity & water schemes
The 2020 Delhi elections reaffirmed AAP’s dominance in Delhi politics. The party’s focus on governance and people-centric policies won over voters, while BJP’s nationalist rhetoric failed to make an impact. Meanwhile, Congress continued its decline, solidifying AAP as the clear leader in Delhi.
