Modi's Delhi Conquest: BJP's Victory and the Post-Kejriwal Crossroads

DIPAK KURMI

Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pulled off a significant political coup, claiming victory in Delhi after a 27-year drought. This win marks a critical turning point for the BJP, underscoring the strategic and symbolic importance of Delhi in India’s political landscape. While it is a Union Territory with only seven parliamentary seats, Delhi’s wealth, stature, and proximity to the central government make it disproportionately influential. For any ruling party at the Centre, controlling Delhi is an affirmation of its ability to project and amplify its vision of governance.

However, this victory has opened up more questions than answers, particularly about how the BJP intends to manage Delhi’s peculiar governance structure. The concept of a “double-engine sarkar”—where both the state and Centre are governed by the same party—raises fundamental concerns about autonomy and efficiency. The BJP now faces the challenge of navigating Delhi’s unique status as the National Capital Territory, a place where governance requires a careful balancing act between municipal needs and national priorities.

For over a decade, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) embodied a reformist agenda that aimed to clean up Delhi’s governance, promising transparency and tackling entrenched corruption. Under Kejriwal’s leadership, Delhi saw the introduction of innovative policies in health and education, most notably through the establishment of “mohalla clinics” and the overhaul of government schools. However, Kejriwal’s tenure was marred by relentless clashes with the BJP-led Centre, particularly through the office of the lieutenant-governor and a bureaucracy often accused of being obstructive.

The decisive defeat of both Kejriwal and his deputy, Manish Sisodia, marks a significant shift in the political narrative. It reflects a clear rejection by Delhi’s middle class, a demographic that has traditionally been a core constituency for the BJP. This voter base, composed of traders, small business owners, Central government employees, and pensioners, has expressed its discontent with Kejriwal’s perceived failures in governance and transparency. For many, the BJP represents a promise of friction-free governance and policies aimed at economic stability, such as the 8th Pay Commission recommendations and income-tax revisions.

However, the BJP’s triumph in Delhi is far from an unqualified endorsement of its governance model. The election results reveal a deeply divided electorate, with the BJP securing 46% of the vote share while the combined opposition garnered over 49%. This highlights the stark class divide that defines Delhi’s socio-political fabric. The city is split between the middle class and the economically marginalized, with an exclusive elite layer occupying privileged enclaves like Khan Market. This divide has long been normalized in Delhi, where acronyms like RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations) and JJ colonies (Jhuggi Jhopri clusters) serve as shorthand for the haves and have-nots.

The BJP’s immediate challenge is to appoint a chief minister who can strike a delicate balance between decisiveness and subservience to the party’s central leadership. This individual will need to navigate the complex dynamics of Delhi’s governance while embodying the BJP’s vision. Moreover, the party must decide whether to dismantle AAP’s legacy programs, such as the “mohalla clinics,” and integrate them into its broader Ayushman Bharat scheme or maintain them as they are to ensure continuity in service delivery. The same question applies to Delhi’s education reforms, which have been lauded for their success but may require alignment with the Modi government’s new education policy.

These decisions will test the BJP’s ability to reconcile ideological differences with practical governance. Disrupting successful systems could alienate voters who benefited from AAP’s policies, while maintaining them might dilute the BJP’s ideological narrative.

Beyond governance, the Delhi election serves as a case study in the failure of opposition politics. The AAP’s defeat is as much a consequence of its own shortcomings as it is a reflection of the fractured opposition. The Congress, a key ally in the INDIA bloc, played the role of a spoiler by contesting all 70 seats and focusing its attacks on Kejriwal rather than the BJP. This self-defeating strategy not only split the anti-BJP vote but also undermined the INDIA bloc’s larger objective of presenting a united front against the BJP.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s sharp critique of the infighting within the INDIA bloc captures the essence of this failure. The Congress’s inability to prioritize its principal adversary—the BJP—has repeatedly weakened the opposition’s collective strength. This pattern is evident not only in Delhi but also in other states like Haryana and Maharashtra, where the Congress’s overestimation of its relevance has proven detrimental to the alliance.

The Delhi election underscores the urgent need for the opposition to recalibrate its strategy. The INDIA bloc achieved a partial victory in the 2024 general elections by reducing the BJP to a minority in the Lok Sabha. However, instead of building on this momentum, the opposition has reverted to old dynamics of rivalry and fragmentation. With four major state elections on the horizon in 2026, the opposition faces a critical juncture.

To mount an effective challenge to the BJP, the INDIA bloc must resolve its internal contradictions and formulate a cohesive strategy. This includes prioritizing unity over individual party interests, clearly defining roles within the alliance, and addressing the ideological and policy gaps that have allowed the BJP to dominate the political narrative. The Delhi election serves as a stark reminder that without a coherent and united approach, the opposition risks squandering its chances against a formidable adversary.

The BJP’s victory in Delhi is both an opportunity and a litmus test. For the BJP, it is a chance to demonstrate the efficacy of its governance model in a city that epitomizes India’s class divide. For the opposition, it is a wake-up call to address its strategic and structural deficiencies. The path forward for both sides will shape not only Delhi’s future but also the trajectory of Indian politics in the years to come.

(Views are personal. Email: dipakkurmiglpltd@gmail.com)