Can Delhi Assembly Election 2025 Results Reflect on Future Punjab Politics?

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reclaimed power in the Delhi State Assembly after 27 years, securing victory in 48 assembly constituencies. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 22 constituencies, while the Congress Party failed to win a single seat.

In the 2024 Parliamentary Elections, the BJP had won all seven parliamentary seats from Delhi with a vote share of 56.86%. AAP secured 24.17% of the vote share but failed to win any seats, while the Indian National Congress garnered 18.91% of the vote share, also failing to secure a seat. However, in the 2025 Delhi Assembly Elections, vote shares changed significantly: Congress dropped to 6.34%, AAP increased to 43.57%, and BJP secured 45.56% of the total votes polled. Despite a narrow vote-share difference of 1.99% between BJP and AAP, the BJP secured 48 seats, while AAP won 22.

This shift in voter behaviour highlights the intelligence of the Indian electorate, who make their decisions based on a positive vision and developmental issues rather than just party loyalty. The outcome of the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 serves as an eye-opener for political parties that failed to achieve victory.

Implications for Punjab Politics

The results in Delhi could have significant implications for Punjab’s political landscape. The BJP’s organisational elections are currently underway in Punjab, and the party is expected to announce its new state president by late February or early March 2025. At present, Sunil Jakhar serves as the BJP’s Punjab State President. Meanwhile, AAP’s Punjab State President and Minister Aman Arora has successfully secured mayoral positions for the party in various municipal corporations across the state. Congress, under its Punjab State President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, is facing internal challenges.

With BJP’s strong performance in Delhi, party workers and leaders in Punjab are optimistic about their prospects in the upcoming state elections. However, it remains uncertain what strategy the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) (SAD-B) will adopt in response.

Shifting Political Allegiances

Leaders and workers of major political parties in Punjab—including the Congress, BJP, AAP, SAD (B), SAD (A), and BSP—will need to display greater commitment to their respective parties. The recurring phenomenon of political defections, commonly known as ‘Aya Ram Gaya Ram,’ may slow down in the coming months as many leaders could return to their original parties. However, predicting political shifts remains challenging, as leaders prioritise their personal political futures over party loyalty, potentially causing instability within their parties.

As the saying goes, ‘everything is fair in love and war,’ and in Indian politics, the same principle often applies. The coming months will reveal how Punjab’s political landscape evolves in response to Delhi’s electoral outcomes.

Authored by:
Rajat Kumar Mohindru
Journalist, Jalandhar City.

(Views are personal)