There is nothing predictable in politics. A landslide victory or even a crushing defeat—there are plenty of opportunities for electoral upheaval. Politics is all about seizing opportunities and navigating electoral volatility. Parties and their leaders rarely have control over this. The deciding factor is the people—the voters—who determine the fortunes and challenges of parties and leaders. This is how democracy works, and this is its power and depth. While this may seem like the truth, I have had enough reasons to feel disillusioned as the results of the Delhi elections slowly trickled in. Since the collapse of the Aam Aadmi Party in the capital, it has been a haunting nightmare, not only for me but also for those who believed that the man who dominated Delhi’s politics would one day become a beacon of change. Over the course of a decade, especially during his two full terms, Arvind Kejriwal earned the reputation of being Delhi's political disruptor. As some described him, he was the most popular and successful "unicorn" in Indian politics. However, critics of the former Delhi Chief Minister have often accused him of being a scammer who forgot both the struggle he was once part of and its original meaning and vision.
Kejriwal, a Ramon Magsaysay award winner for Emergent Leadership through his organization Parivartan, joined the Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption (IAC) movement in 2011, which marked one of the most tumultuous political developments in recent Indian history. The movement was a response to the corruption scandals that had surfaced during the Congress-led UPA regime. Though the movement could not last as long as expected, its impact continued to resonate in India’s political landscape. Though he promised not to enter politics, somewhere down the line, an aspirational momentum built up in Kejriwal, which ultimately led him to form a political party that he convinced a section of the country’s electorate would bring the desired change in politics. His political plunge led to a harsh ideological rift between Kejriwal and his mentor Anna Hazare, as the Gandhian in Hazare firmly believed that politics is corrupt. There had been multiple political upheavals until the 2014 National Elections, but Kejriwal’s rise to power in Delhi was the major turning point in 2013. This was mainly due to the ideological vigor with which the IAC movement unfolded and its aspirational mobility, leading people to believe that a political mobilization by such a gathering would bring flexibility and transparency to politics.
In the National Election of 2014, Modi’s pro-Hindu, pro-development appeal led to an unprecedented regime change. India witnessed Modi’s colossal metamorphosis nationally. There was a visible discontent emerging against the UPA administration and Arvind Kejriwal, through the IAC movement invested considerable time in driving such a massive shift in Indian politics. Defying all expectations, the AAP, under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, secured 28 seats in the 70-seat Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections of 2013. To everyone's surprise, Kejriwal made a U-turn. In a hung assembly, he unapologetically sought the support of Congress, against whose corrupt administration he joined the IAC mobilization, and became the Chief Minister. The man who had criticized Congress for being the most corrupt party made a convenient somersault for power. His party, under Congress's watch, lasted just 49 days, after which Kejriwal was forced to resign when both Congress and the BJP blocked his ambitious Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill. His second term, with a massive victory, ran its full course, but his third term was certainly tumultuous, culminating in his arrest on corruption charges and imprisonment. He became the first-ever sitting Chief Minister to land in jail.
For the BJP, the Delhi battle of 2025 was crucial, and a collapse, if repeated, would have been catastrophic—especially as the National Election results had significantly diminished Modi’s sheen as a winner. Over the past decade, Delhi had remained an uphill task for the saffron camp. The Sangh Parivar’s concerted efforts had failed to topple the Aam Aadmi Party’s stronghold, reducing the BJP to a distant shadow. This time, however, the BJP had successfully managed to set narratives, mainly focusing on what Kejriwal failed to articulate. Electorates across party lines began to demand accountability, and Kejriwal’s decisive defeat after a decade has set a strong example. Electoral politics should certainly value performance, while parties ideally stage-manage situations to derail the hopes and aspirations of people. The quintessential Delhi politics revolved around freebies. Manifestos had well-crafted vocabularies arranged to attract voters. There hadn’t been much talk about performance, but promises were abundant. Significant progress was made in certain areas, such as education and healthcare. However, the Kejriwal administration remained blind to its drastic fall in the trust that the people of Delhi had placed in him when they elevated him to power. The more he complained about the Modi administration, the more precarious and tumultuous the political undercurrent became.
Delhi had its former Chief Minister learn a hard lesson. In Anna Hazare’s words, “Kejriwal needs to step back, ponder, course-correct, and attempt to rise.” AAP rose to power capitalizing on the IAC movement. It had, in essence, defined the kind of politics India had wanted for years. The scale of Kejriwal’s defeat does not matter. What matters is the message that the voters sent, beyond doubt, so firmly. Modi’s track record as a performer was valued against the AAP’s hollow promises. The people of Delhi witnessed AAP’s ideological deterioration and administrative flaws. Rising from the backdrop of the anti-corruption movement, Kejriwal shattered the people’s faith, and his betrayal was exposed on a daily basis. The void was deep, and hopelessness was hovering over the city’s daily life. From mismanagement while fighting COVID to the city’s perennial winter pollution, to the scams and the city’s collapsing infrastructure, Kejriwal faced a cluster of troubles. The BJP, on the other hand, had been resilient and hardworking. Exposing the AAP theatrics, the party and its local leadership toiled, preparing for a final battle, one the party was determined to win. Once again, performance is the watchword, the milestone, which people identify, remember, and cherish. Hollow promises, however genuine they may appear, gradually fade, and people, this time around, have proved through their overwhelming mobilization of their disregard for the AAP. Performance sticks too deep in the hearts. Probably, Modi and his party won a decisive mandate for this.