'Sheesh Mahal', Liquor 'Scam' Led To AAP's Downfall In 2025 Delhi Assembly Elections

The BJP came to power in Delhi after 27 years while AAP's 10-year-old rule ended. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party conceded defeat.

Hyderabad:After around twenty-seven years of intense efforts, the BJP has finally emerged victorious in the Delhi Assembly elections, defeating the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). However, the election results suggest that the BJP's victory was not easy, with AAP putting up a strong fight on several seats. The BJP's focus on the middle class and corruption paid off in this election. Throughout its campaigns, the BJP also clearly communicated its commitment to continue existing welfare schemes and a promise of "double-engine" development.
To woo the middle class, several political parties made big promises in their election manifestos. But the income tax exemption of Rs. 12 Lakh for the middle class, announced just before the assembly elections, provided immense relief and proved to be a major electoral boost for the BJP.

Allegations of liquor 'scam' against top AAP leaders including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh contributed to the AAP's poor performance in the Delhi assembly elections. Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in March 2024 by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor scam case. In February 2023 Manish Sisodia was taken in custody in a money laundering case related to the liquor scam. He remained in jail for over 17 months. This tarnished the image of Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party, which claimed to practice clean and corruption-free politics. The BJP also aggressively targeted AAP during elections over the issue of Yamuna pollution. AAP's allegations against the BJP and Haryana government ultimately fell flat during the elections.

While the AAP launched a counter-offensive against the BJP on the Yamuna contamination issue, the BJP coined the term "Sheesh Mahal" for the Chief Minister's residence, making it an election issue. After winning 67 out of 70 seats in 2015 and 62 seats in 2020, the AAP has now been reduced to a significantly lower number of seats. The party's initiatives such as mohalla clinics, schools, free water and electricity seem to have failed to impress the Delhi voters this time.

Arvind Kejriwal, the face of the Aam Aadmi Party emerged from the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare. This corruption movement led to AAP's victory against Sheila Dikshit's government in 2013. The party has been in power in Delhi for more than ten years.

Apart from this, Arvind Kejriwal's decision to field new faces on seventeen seats and shift its senior-most leader Manish Sisodia from Patparganj to Jangpura also seems to have backfired. On four seats the AAP gave tickets to the family members of its sitting MLA's which may have impacted its performance.

The AAP's Mahila Samman Yojana, which promised to pay Rs. 2100 per month to women, also failed to impress voters. Analysts believe that the BJP and Congress party's similar announcements overshadowed the AAP's scheme, contributing to its loss. The Aam Aadmi Party had also promised a monthly income of Rs. 18000 to temple Pujaris and Granthis of Gurudwaras but this announcement failed to impress the Delhi voters.