NEW DELHI: ‘Aur lado aapas mein’ – J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah’s tweet on Saturday said it all as the BJP ended the decade-long rule of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi. The decision of AAP and Congress, who were allies during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, to turn rivals in assembly elections may have played a big role in BJP’s victory.
Former chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, chose to contest independently, shutting down any possibility of an alliance with Congress even before the election dates were announced.
Delhi Election Results 2025
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the BJP is set to form the government in Delhi after 27 years, with 47 seats, while AAP could secure only 23 seats. Congress, on the other hand, failed to open its account for the third consecutive time.
The decision of AAP and Congress to go solo seems to have played a decisive role in splitting the anti-BJP vote.
A closer analysis of the election data suggests that an AAP-Congress alliance could have altered the results in at least 15 seats. The combined vote share of the two parties in key constituencies like Rajinder Nagar, Chhatarpur, Sangam Vihar, Greater Kailash, and others shows that AAP could have emerged victorious had it contested with Congress’ support.
With Congress failing to make an impact on its own, a partnership could have provided both parties with a stronger electoral footing.
For instance, in Rajinder Nagar, AAP secured 45,440 votes while Congress got 4,015. If these votes were combined, AAP’s tally would have reached 49,455, enough to defeat the BJP. Similarly, in Chhatarpur, AAP’s 74,230 votes combined with Congress’s 6,601 would have pushed the total to 80,831, securing a win. The same pattern holds in other constituencies like Sangam Vihar, Greater Kailash, and Timarpur, where an alliance could have led to AAP’s victory.
In seats like Badli and Nangloi Jat, Congress’s strong presence further underlines how a joint front could have been a game-changer. In Badli, AAP secured 35,668 votes while Congress got 31,130. Their combined tally of 66,798 would have comfortably beaten the BJP. Nangloi Jat tells a similar story, with AAP’s 48,907 votes and Congress’s 31,918 combining for a total of 80,825—enough to win the seat.
Even in tight contests such as in Narela, where BJP barely edged ahead, an AAP-Congress alliance might have changed the final outcome.
Here are the seats that AAP could have won had it been in alliance with Congress:
Beyond numbers, the election results signal a potential strategic miscalculation by AAP. While the party has governed Delhi for a decade, its recent friction with Congress over seat-sharing in other states might have influenced its decision to contest alone. The split in opposition votes ultimately benefited BJP, allowing it to regain control of Delhi after nearly three decades.