As Delhi heads to the polls today, the Aam Aadmi Party’s once-unshakable dominance appears to be crumbling under the weight of corruption scandals, internal strife, and a growing credibility crisis—factors that could reshape the capital’s political landscape. The electorate, which handed AAP sweeping victories in the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections with vote shares of 56% and 53% respectively, now faces a starkly different reality. Once seen as a crusader against corruption, Arvind Kejriwal has become entangled in the very practices he vowed to eradicate. Kejriwal’s meteoric rise was fuelled by his image as a humble, middle-class leader committed to clean governance. His political career was built on the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, targeting the Congress-led UPA government and other entrenched regional parties. The electorate, weary of systemic graft, saw in him a hope for change. However, that perception has been severely dented over the last five years.
AAP’s tenure from 2020 to 2025 has been rocked by multi-crore corruption scandals, including the infamous excise policy scam and the Sheesh Mahal controversy. Kejriwal, who once promised to hold corrupt leaders accountable, found himself surrounded by ministers accused of money laundering and financial misappropriation. Nearly half a dozen cabinet members were implicated and jailed, and Kejriwal himself was named as the prime accused in the excise scam, leading to his own imprisonment. While the courts granted bail to several of these leaders, including Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia, the damage to AAP’s reputation has been irreparable. Rather than addressing these credibility concerns, Kejriwal doubled down. Despite his legal troubles and the Supreme Court’s directive barring him from resuming official duties, he remained defiant, appointing Atishi as a temporary Chief Minister before reclaiming the role for himself as the face of AAP’s election campaign. The move only deepened the perception that he prioritizes personal power over governance.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has gone all out to capitalize on AAP’s downfall. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading multiple rallies and top Union ministers such as Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Nitin Gadkari aggressively campaigning, the BJP is leaving nothing to chance. The saffron party’s organizational strength, meticulous booth-level management, and targeted outreach to disillusioned AAP supporters have further solidified its position. The defection of several former AAP MLAs to the BJP only underscores the internal turmoil within Kejriwal’s party. The Congress, once a formidable player in Delhi, has once again managed to squander whatever little goodwill remained. The party’s leadership, particularly Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge has continued its pattern of self-inflicted wounds—this time with controversial remarks against President Droupadi Murmu. Such missteps have only reinforced the perception that Congress is out of touch with the electorate and incapable of mounting a serious challenge in Delhi. With AAP’s credibility shattered, BJP’s aggressive push, and Congress’s continued irrelevance, the upcoming election could mark a turning point. If even 8-10% of AAP’s voter base shifts away due to disillusionment, the party’s future could be in jeopardy. The real question is whether Delhi’s voters will still trust Kejriwal’s leadership despite the mounting scandals, or whether they will hand the BJP a decisive mandate. Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain—AAP’s once-untouchable dominance in Delhi politics is now a thing of the past.