BJP set to storm to power in Delhi after 27-year wait

BJP leaders believe that 2025 is best possible shot the party has to claim power in Delhi, with several factors working in its favour

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), buoyed by the exit polls that have all predicted a complete majority for it, is attempting to end its 27-year wait to form the government in Delhi since it was routed in the 1998 elections due to soaring onion prices. This time, the BJP twin strategy of matching the Aam Aadmi Party on “freebies/welfare schemes” and attacking the party’s core selling points of “honesty” and “common man image” through a series of alleged corruption cases, is likely to bear fruit.

A BJP rally in the run-up to the Delhi elections. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

BJP leaders believe that 2025 is best possible shot the party has to claim power in Delhi, with several factors working in its favour.

“This has been a really good election. We have further consolidated the hold on middle-class urban voters while making strong inroads in slum clusters and EWS voters, who have traditionally voted en masse for the AAP. Over the last seven months, we ran a sustained campaign in slums across the city while damaging AAP on its corruption and ‘aam aadmi’ planks through ‘Sheeshmahal and liquor scam’. We have matched AAP’s welfare schemes and the tax reliefs in budget and Pay Commission announcements have acted as booster shots,” a senior party leader said.

The BJP formed the government in the first assembly elections, in 1993, with three chief ministers—Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma and Sushma Swaraj—taking turns over the five years. Soaring onion prices became a major issue with rising inflation towards the end, as unseasonal rains caused massive spike in prices. Catalysing the public sentiment, the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress routed the BJP and the party has not returned to power since. It secured three seats and eight seats in the 2015 and 2020 assembly polls, respectively, with 32.3% and 38.51% vote shares.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said that people of Delhi this time have voted for change and a “double-engine government” will be formed in Delhi.

South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that the party has been constantly flagging issues of poor roads, sewage and corruption over the past two years and the message sank in among the voters. “People want to get rid of the AAP for a more livable and better-governed city. The BJP has also clearly stated that we will continue welfare schemes and improve them. The AAP has lost the confidence of Delhi people.”

However, not all were overly confident.

A second BJP leader, on condition of anonymity, said that the party also witnessed a gain of around 6% in vote share in the last election, but it did not translate into seats. “Our vote share had gone up from 32.3% to 38.51% but the Congress collapsed to such a point that the AAP still managed to sweep the elections,” the leader said.

Experts said the 2025 assembly elections have been fought on the turf of welfare schemes and freebies set up by Arvind Kejriwal.

Tanvir Aeijaz, associate professor of political science at Ramjas College, said: “BJP has fought election taking AAP head on. BJP did not shy away from what they called freebies, unlike previous elections. It has also not engaged in a polarising campaign like 2020, which did not work in cosmopolitan city like Delhi. The BJP will see an increase in vote share, but how many seats it translates to remains to be seen.”