The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a historic victory in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, ending Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) decade-long rule. While AAP suffered a crushing defeat, outgoing Delhi Chief Minister Atishi stood out as the lone woman winner from her party, retaining the Kalkaji constituency by defeating BJP’s Ramesh Bhiduri with a margin of 3,521 votes.
Women Leaders in the Spotlight
The BJP’s landslide victory saw four of its women candidates clinching wins, contributing to the party’s overwhelming success. The winning BJP women candidates are:
- Rekha Gupta (Shalimar Bagh) – Secured 68,200 votes, defeating AAP’s Bandana Kumari by 29,595 votes.
- Poonam Sharma (Wazirpur) – Secured 54,721 votes, defeating AAP’s Rajesh Gupta by 11,425 votes.
- Neelam Pahelwan (Najafgarh) – Secured 1,01,708 votes, defeating AAP’s Tarun Kumar by 29,009 votes.
- Shikha Roy (Greater Kailash) – Secured 49,594 votes, defeating AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj by 3,188 votes.
Among the 699 candidates contesting the elections, 96 were women, marking a rise from 76 female candidates in the 2020 Assembly polls. In the previous elections, eight women had won, while this time, only five emerged victorious.
BJP, AAP, and Congress Field More Women
In a bid to boost female representation, the three major parties—BJP, AAP, and Congress—increased the number of women candidates this election. Both BJP and AAP fielded nine women candidates, while Congress nominated seven women.
BJP Ends AAP’s Reign After 27 Years
With a decisive two-thirds majority, the BJP has returned to power in Delhi after 27 years, toppling the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. The victory comes on the back of a hyper-localised campaign and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aggressive ‘AAP-da’ (disaster) blitzkrieg.
The Delhi elections mark a significant political shift, setting the stage for BJP’s governance in the national capital after years of AAP dominance. As the dust settles, all eyes are now on how the new BJP-led administration shapes Delhi’s future.
