Delhi will go to polls on February 5, 2025, as the Aam Aadmi Party, Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress put up a crucial single-phase fight. Results will be out on February 8 as political temperatures soar amidst the cold wave of the national capital. By-elections are also due in Milkipur, Uttar Pradesh, and Erode (East), Tamil Nadu on the same day.
The Model Code of Conduct comes into force with the announcement of the Election Commission. Facing a string of corruption charges, ruling AAP, which had won 67 and 62 seats in the 2015 and 2020 polls respectively, expects a hat rick.
After getting a drubbing in the last two elections, BJP is seeking a comeback in Delhi after 26 years while Congress, which had dominated the capital for 15 continuous years, will fight alone after joining hands with AAP in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
This election is being seen as an important battleground for the three key parties. Last year, AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal quit as the Chief Minister amid controversy over the new liquor policy and said he would come back into power with the people’s blessings. Now, the party showcases welfare schemes targeted at women and senior citizens in order to shake off anti-incumbency and test the rivals.
On the other hand, the AAP has declared a monthly compensation of Rs 18,000 for priests at temples and granthis in gurdwaras, playing to “soft Hindutva.”
On the other hand, the BJP is buoyed by its victories in the Delhi Lok Sabha elections and impressive wins in Haryana and Maharashtra. The party has even coined a term ‘AAPda’ (disaster) to criticize the governance of the ruling party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently repeated this message, asking voters to change the current administration with the BJP.
Both Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have targeted Kejriwal’s lavish renovations of his official residence, described as ‘Sheeshmahal,’ as part of their corruption narrative. The arrests of Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, and former minister Satyendra Jain by central agencies have further stoked the opposition attacks.
While AAP and BJP are seriously gearing up for this election, Congress is yet to get its cylinders running. The party’s visibility began only recently after DK Shivakumar, the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka launched the ‘Pyari Didi Yojana’ assuring Rs 2,500 every month to eligible women in Delhi, directly competing with AAP’s Mahila Samaan Yojna assurance of Rs 2,100. While the weather is uncomfortably cold, the electoral race is getting hotter with every passing day as AAP, BJP, and Congress gear up for a crucial contest.
