Delhi Election Results 2025 LIVE: Good Governance Won, Says PM Modi, BJP Ahead In 48 Seats

Many may be tempted to write the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) obituary today, but that may be both hasty and tragic. The AAP’s defeat in Delhi is basically a journey from Dreamland to Crashland. Much before the results were out, I had argued that this was the most opportune time for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to win the election. The results of the Delhi assembly elections are shocking for both AAP and Arvind Kejriwal, but it’s they who must take the blame for the rout, and gracefully accept their mistakes.

Kejriwal had emerged on the national scene as a radical revolutionary who promised to change the politics of the country. Instead, it was politics that changed Kejriwal.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Milkipur, BJP’s Chandrabhanu Paswan won the Assembly bypoll with a whopping margin of over 60,000 votes.

In Tamil Nadu’s Erode (East), DMK’s Chandhirakumar VC has secured a comfortable lead of over 65,000 votes.

Apart from Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, other AAP heavyweights who lost in the Assembly elections are:

Saurabh Bharadwaj: A prominent AAP leader, Mr Bhardwaj won the Greater Kailash seat thrice in 2013, but lost out to BJP’s Shikha Roy this time. A minister in the Delhi government, he handled multiple portfolios including home, power and water supply. His seat was being seen as a safe seat for AAP, but the BJP managed to turn the tables.

Durgesh Pathak: A member of AAP’s top bodies, the political affairs committee and national executive, Mr Pathak lost to BJP’s Umang Bajaj in Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar seat. Mr Pathak won the seat in 2022 in a by-election. He was renominated this time, but lost.

Outgoing Delhi Chief Minister Atishi today said the loss for the Aam Aadmi Party in the assembly elections was a “setback”, but vowed to continue the “war” against the Bharatiya Janata Party, which clinched a huge victory in the national capital after nearly three decades.

Speaking to reporters after retaining the Kalkaji seat, she thanked the people of her constituency for “showing trust” in her.

“We accept the people’s mandate. I have won but it’s not the time to celebrate but to continue the ‘war’ against the BJP,” she said.

The rule of lies has ended in Delhi, declared Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday as the BJP appeared set for a massive comeback in the national capital, defeating Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

“PM Modi in the heart of Delhi. The people of Delhi have worked to make Delhi Aapda-free by destroying the ‘Sheeshmahal’ of lies, deceit and corruption. Delhi has taught such a lesson to those who break promises that it will set an example for those who make false promises to the public across the country,” said Mr Shah.

In a subsequent post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Shah said that the rule of lies has ended in Delhi. He called AAP’s loss the defeat of “arrogance and anarchy.”

After emerging victorious from the New Delhi seat by defeating Arvind Kejriwal, BJP’s Parvesh Verma said Delhi had chosen development. “The darkness went away, the sun rose, the lotus bloomed,” he wrote while thanking the voters and BJP workers.

Here is what Verma’s children said on his victory:

Meghnad S, a YouTuber who contested as an Independent from Malviya Nagar, has bagged just 192 votes, far behind BJP’s Satish Upadhyay’s almost 40,000 votes. The number of votes he has got so far are lesser than the 532 NOTA votes cast in the constituency.

In a post on X, he said he was “expecting seven votes”.

As the BJP secured wins or leads in 48 seats, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the people’s power won, adding that the party’s poll performance shows that good governance triumphs.

“I bow to my dear sisters and brothers of Delhi for this resounding and historic mandate to

the BJP. It is our guarantee that we will leave no stone unturned in developing Delhi, improving the overall quality of life for the people and ensuring that Delhi has a prime role to play in building a Viksit Bharat,” he wrote in a post on X.

The outcome of Delhi election has sparked a meme fest on social media with internet users taking a jab at Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party and Congress.

An X (formerly Twitter) compared former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to cricketer Virat Kohli, wiping his tears. Mr Kejriwal, contesting from the New Delhi constituency is up against BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit and is trailing.

Aam Aadmi Party shut its party office doors in Delhi shortly after a massive defeat in the assembly elections. The Congress office too lacked any signs of activity or celebration as the party secured zero seats for the third consecutive Assembly poll.

Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas today took a dig at his ex-colleague Arvind Kejriwal after counting showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is headed for a massive win in the Delhi Assembly polls.

“I congratulate the BJP for the victory and I hope that they’ll work for the people of Delhi… I have no sympathy for a man who crushed the dreams of AAP party workers. Delhi is now free from him,” Mr Vishwas, a founder member of the AAP, told the news agency ANI.

He also claimed that Mr Kejriwal, who lost his New Delhi seat, used the AAP workers’ dreams for his “personal ambitions”. “Today, justice has been finally delivered,” Mr Vishwas, once a close aide of Mr Kejriwal, said.

As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faces a resounding defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, marking the end of its decade-long rule in the national capital, a social media post by Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has gone viral on social media.

Ms Maliwal shared an image on social media featuring a painting depicting the ‘cheerharan’ (disrobing) of Draupadi from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set for a landslide victory in the national capital Delhi. Trends at 2:10 pm show the BJP leading with 47 seats while Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) settles for 23 and Congress fails to open its account. The Delhi assembly election results are in line with what the exit polls predicted for the capital – BJP’s comeback after almost three decades and AAP’s exit from the ‘sheesh mahal’. NDTV’s Poll of Exit Polls gave the BJP 41 seats, the AAP 28, and the Congress just one seat. 

An old video of Arvind Kejriwal, where he is seen saying that the BJP will never be able to defeat the Aam Aadmi Party in this lifetime, is going viral.

Addressing a party workers’ meeting in 2023 in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal had said, “Their intention is to topple the AAP government, and Narendra Modi ji wants to form a government in Delhi this way; they know they can’t defeat us through elections. I want to tell Narendra Modi ji that you cannot defeat us in this life, and you will have to take another birth to defeat us in Delhi.”

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi retained the Kalkaji seat, defeating BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress’ Alka Lamba.

BJP’s Rekha Gupta won the Shalimar Bagh seat. With this, the party has won or is leading in 47 seats, while the figure is 23 for the Aam Aadmi Party.

Congress has not been able to open its tally so far.

AAP’s Amanatullah Khan has so far secured over 31,000 votes or 47 per cent votes, leaving AIMIM’s Shifa Ur Rehman Khan far behind at over 18,000 votes and 27 per cent vote share.

BJP’s Parvesh Verma emerged as a “giant killer” after defeating former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi seat. Kejriwal had won the seat in 2013, 2015 and 2020. This year, he lost by a margin of 1,200 votes.

In Jangpura, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia conceded defeat to BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, who has headed the party’s Delhi unit in the past, said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is being punished for their “inaction and corruption”.

“The BJP is way ahead in the early trends, but we will wait for results. I believe that we will have an even better tally than this. I need not say much today; it is clear that the people of Delhi have accepted Modi ji’s guarantees,” said the singer-tuned-politician.

He added that Kejriwal was cursed by Yamuna, in a jab at the AAP’s lack of fulfilment of the 2020 poll promise of cleaning up the river. He said the BJP government will ensure a cleaner Yamuna within three years. The Yamuna river holds great significance for the Purvanchali community, which is a sizeable portion of Delhi’s voters and to which the politician belongs.

Parvesh Verma: Leading in the New Delhi constituency, Parvesh Verma comes from political legacy. If he wins, the son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma will emerge as the giant killer, putting him as the frontrunner for the chief ministerial post.

Ramesh Bidhuri: Leading from Kalkaji, the prominent Gurjar face has remained a central figure in Delhi politics. He is up against incumbent Chief Minister Atishi.

As the Delhi election results pointed to an apparent win for the BJP and a hattrick of getting zero seats for the Congress, the differences within the INDIA bloc became clearer.

It is not the Congress’ responsibility to make the Aam Aadmi Party win, party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate told NDTV. “Our responsibility is mounting a spirited campaign and contesting this election (or any other) as strongly as we can,” she said.

Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut said that the results may have been different if the Congress and AAP had fought together. “Both of them fought to keep BJP from coming to power, but they fought individually. If they had been together then BJP’s defeat must have been confirmed in the first hour (of counting),” he said.

Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi told reporters she had not checked the results yet.

Two hours into the counting, the BJP is headed for a massive win in the Delhi Assembly polls. The AAP, which reduced the BJP to single-digit scores in the last election, has taken a big hit this time and has fallen behind the Opposition party.

Here’s What Went Wrong For AAP in Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the BJP headquarters at 7:30 pm today and address the party workers.

The AAP government’s current term witnessed a massive uproar over corruption allegations surrounding Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy.

The BJP accused the Arvind Kejriwal government of “turning Delhi into a city of drunkards” after the new policy brought ‘Buy 1 Get 1 free’ offers on liquor bottles. The AAP consistently denied any allegation in the liquor policy, which was scrapped less than a year after it was improved.

Probes by central agencies led to the arrest of top leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh. This kept the AAP in firefighting mode throughout its third term, taking the focus away from fulfilling its 2020 poll promises.

As the counting for votes for the Delhi Assembly elections continued, Congress candidate Alka Lamba launched a blistering attack on AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, declaring that the man who “ruined Delhi” will be “destroyed.”

Ms Lamba, contesting from the Kalkaji constituency, expressed confidence in her victory and predicted a major setback for both the ruling AAP and the BJP. According to Election Commission data, Ms Lamba is trailing BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and AAP’s Atishi from the Kalkaji seat.

“Kalkaji will speak once EVMs are opened. The man who ruined Delhi will be destroyed,” Ms Lamba told NDTV.

As of 10.48 am, the BJP is leading in 41 seats, however, it is the margin that is to be taken note of.

In the 10 seats swinging in the BJP’s favour, the margin is of less than 1,000 votes. In 23 other seats, the margin is less than 2,000 seats.

Independent candidate from New Delhi Pankaj Sharma is a Delhi Police constable posted in the 6th Battalion.

“Crime in Delhi is not only an electoral issue but also a major concern for its three crore people. As a police officer and a resident of Delhi for 40 years, I understand the problems of the people here. When citizens bring their problems to the police stations, they often don’t find solutions, only disposal. I will bring these issues to the forefront and work towards solutions,” he said.

As the BJP surges ahead of the AAP in the Delhi election’s early counting trends, a stunning picture emerges in South Delhi. Out of 15 Assembly segments in South Delhi, the BJP is leading in 11 and the AAP in four. These 15 seats include 10 Assembly segments in the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, and New Delhi, Greater Kailash, Malviya Nagar, RK Puram and Kasturba Nagar seats.

In the 2020 Assembly polls, AAP won 14 out of these 15 seats. The big AAP setback in south Delhi plays out against the backdrop of massive gains by the BJP in this capital contest. At 10 am, two hours into the counting, the BJP leads in 44 out of 70 seats. The AAP has fallen behind with leads in 25 seats.

Taking another apparent jab at the INDIA alliance, and particularly the Congress and the AAP, after early leads pointed to a BJP sweep in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has made a social media post saying “aur lado” (fight some more).

If the early leads hold and the BJP manages to break into AAP’s fortress, Delhi will be the latest among a handful of opposition-ruled states to turn saffron and also cement the position of the ruling party at the Centre in the region. The BJP is already in power in the states surrounding the national capital, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

While the BJP has been ruling in Uttar Pradesh since 2017, it won a decisive mandate in the face of strong headwinds in Haryana – where it had been in power for two terms – last year and wrested power from the Congress in Rajasthan in 2023.

Despite having governments, on its own or in alliance with its partners, in at least 20 states and a Union Territory, being out of power in Delhi since 1998 has rankled the BJP. This was exacerbated by its humiliating losses in the national capital in 2015 and 2020, where it managed to win just three and eight of Delhi’s 70 seats, respectively, while the AAP swept 67 and 62.

BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri secured a lead in the Kalkaji seat, leaving behind Congress’ Alka Lamba and AAP’s Atishi.

Avadh Ojha, the popular civil services exam tutor, and one of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s more high-profile recruits ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly election, is trailing from the Patparganj seat.

Mr Ojha replaced senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia as the party’s pick for this seat; Mr Sisodia, who won in the 2013, 2015, and 2020 polls, was shifted to Jangpura to accommodate the new recruit. He is, though, trailing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Ravinder Negi, with the Congress’ Anil Chaudhary third.

Patparganj was widely expected to be a ‘safe seat’ for Avadh Ojha, a feeling underlined by Mr Sisodia’s comments that the area is seen as “the heart of the education revolution in Delhi”.

As the BJP secured leads in 50 seats, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the double-engine government will come to the National Capital.

“Arvind Kejriwal’s lies have been exposed by residents. Those (AAP) who betray people, the people will treat them like this (defeat),” he said.

He further said the the central leadership will decide the CM face.

The abysmal quality of water in the Yamuna river was often raised during poll campaigns, with Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann even filing complaints of their own over ammonia levels in the Yamuna.

The debate around the cleanliness and potability of Yamuna water is of particular significance as these were assurances made by Kejriwal before the 2020 Delhi election.

He had admitted to Delhi voters he had failed to ensure Yamuna water is both clean and drinkable, but insisted this will become a reality if his AAP is voted to a third consecutive term.

During a relentless poll campaign, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘Sheesh Mahal’ official residence became a bone of contention.

The BJP accused Kejriwal of spending public money on a luxurious upgrade of the bungalow on 6, Flagstaff Road. A CAG report, pointing to a four-fold jump between budgeting for the renovation and the final cost, served as fresh ammo.

Kejriwal took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that a man who lives in a house worth Rs 2,700 crore, travels on an Rs 8,400 crore plane and wears a Rs 10 lakh suit must not talk about Sheesh Mahal.

However, BJP’s Pradeep Bhandari told NDTV that AAP has realised it is on the back foot. “The people of Delhi are asking Arvind Kejriwal a basic question, he came to politics promising that he would live in a 2 BHK apartment, that he would not take VVIP security. During Covid, when everybody was suffering and people wanted help, Mr Kejriwal spent Rs 52 crore (on the bungalow),” he said.

BJP’s Satish Upadhyay is leading from Malaviya Nagar in early leads.

Incumbent AAP MLA Somnath Bharti, meanwhile, expressed confidence that his party will retain the seat. “I have served the people for 11 years, hence, I am neither worried about the elections nor the results. The exit polls are made in BJP headquarters, there is nothing to worry about,” he told ANI.

As per leads at 8.45 am, the BJP is leading in 37 seats, AAP in 25 seats and Congress in 1 constituency.

As per 8.15 am leads, the BJP-led alliance is ahead in six seats, while AAP is trailing in four seats and Congress has opened its tally in one seat – Badli.

Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai and Saurabh Bharadwaj from the AAP are leading, while Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma and Ramesh Bidhuri are among the leading BJP candidates.

Avyan Tomar, who has been seen dressed like Arvind Kejriwal on election results day, has reached the Aam Aadmi Party headquarters. He has been named “Baby Muffler Man”.

The AAP established its dominance in Delhi’s political map routing both the BJP and Congress in the 2015 assembly polls, winning 67 of the 70 assembly seats.

The party again formed its government in 2020, winning 62 seats and decimating the Opposition BJP and Congress. A victory for the AAP will establish Arvind Kejriwal’s dominance in Delhi, while a BJP win will end his Delhi journey for now.

Arvind Kejriwal alleged the BJP tried to poach AAP MLAs, following which a team of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) came to his house to seek evidence about his allegations. When he refused to meet the ACB officials, the officials served a notice seeking proof.

The ACB moved in soon after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a probe into allegations by AAP leaders that BJP attempted to poach its candidates by offering them Rs 15 crore and ministerial berths.

The BJP demanded AAP retract its charges and apologise or face legal action. Delhi BJP general secretary Vishnu Mittal also wrote to the Lt Governor seeking an investigation.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said Arvind Kejriwal will become the chief minister for the fourth time, adding that people will stand with the Aam Aadmi Party again.

“No one thought AAP will go so far. Delhi has trusted us for so many years because the AAP is above appeasement politics,” she said.

The biggest challenge the AAP government faced was the Delhi liquor policy case. Mr Kejriwal, gave up chief ministership, and his deputy Manish Sisodia, spent months in jail.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said the party high command will make a decision, if any, on a pact with the Aam Aadmi Party.

AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj said the BJP made many attempts to topple the AAP government in Delhi, but the people will choose his party.

“Attempts were made to topple our government. The Enforcement Directorate, CBI, Income Tax department and Election Commission were used against the AAP,” he said.

Shortly before counting will commence in Delhi, leaders in the electoral fray were seen visiting temples. Among them were AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj and BJP’s Shikha Rai, both pitted against each other in the Greater Kailash seat.

BJP’s Dushyant Gautam visited the Jhandewalan Temple to offer prayers.

The Returning Officer (RO), usually a government or local authority officer nominated by the Election Commission, is responsible for conducting the elections in a constituency. This includes counting of votes too.

The entire counting process is videographed and counting centres are monitored using CCTV cameras. Only counting staff, returning officers, security personnel, and agents are allowed inside during counting. The polling agents cannot leave the premises until the counting is over.

The poll of exit polls gives the BJP 42 of 70 seats – six more than required to form the government.

People’s Pulse, Poll Diary and People’s Insights were the most optimistic with regards to the BJP, predicting a low return of 40 and a high of 60 between them.

Chanakya Strategies, DV Research, JVC, and P-Marq also predicted BJP wins. Today’s Chanakya, Axis My India and CNX predicts a return to power in the national capital, for the first time since 1998.

The Axis My India poll expects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party to win between 45 and 55 of Delhi’s 70 seats, while CNX is even more gung-ho, giving the BJP between 49 and 61 seats.

Congress candidate from New Delhi Sandeep Dikshit said he is hopeful of the party’s win in the Assembly elections.

He is pitted against Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal and BJP’s Parvesh Verma. The Congress hopes to make a comeback, after winning zero seats in two consecutive elections.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi refuted claims made by Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, who alleged that the Election Commission had not provided booth-wise voting data for the Assembly constituencies.

The poll body clarified that the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, had been “complied with in letter and spirit” at every polling station.

Key constituencies include New Delhi, where AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is contesting against Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit and Parvesh Verma of the BJP.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is facing BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress candidate Alka Lamba.

A three-tier security arrangement has been put in place for the 19 counting centres across Delhi ahead of the vote counting for the Delhi Assembly elections.

The security setup includes two companies of paramilitary forces alongside Delhi Police personnel, ensuring a robust security cover. Special Commissioner of Police, Devesh Chandra Srivastava, said that strict measures have been taken to maintain law and order during the counting process.

To eliminate any potential threats, Delhi Police has already conducted anti-sabotage checks at all counting centres. In addition, a traffic management plan has been devised to ensure smooth vehicular movement in the city during the crucial counting period.