Delhi’s New BJP Government: Tougher Road Ahead

With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) set to form the government in Delhi next week, the measuring bar of public expectation has been raised significantly. After a decisive electoral victory, the metropolitan Delhiites, now look forward to swift action on key issues such as better roads, a clean city, better drinking water, air pollution control, no traffic jams, improved public services, and, of course, economic growth including several freebies and jobs as promised.

Meeting these high expectations will be no easy task with the increasing Delhi population every day. The new administration will have to cautiously navigate governance challenges, political opposition, and the pressure to deliver on ambitious promises and more so to satisfy the expectations and guarantee of the Prime Minister to the Delhi population.

Will Delhi’s new leadership rise to the occasion, or will the weight of expectations prove overwhelming?

After nearly three decades in the periphery, the Bharatiya Janata Party has reclaimed Delhi, securing 48 of the 70 Assembly seats. The once-dominant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), for a decade, suffered a resounding defeat, with even former Chief Minister and the convenor of the party, Arvind Kejriwal, failing to retain his constituency.

This victory marks a sharp reversal for the BJP, which faced setbacks in last year’s national elections and serves as a testament to how BJP quickly analysed their not-so-good performance and recovered by first retaining and winning Haryana State and then Maharashtra, where their competition was tough.

Now, the hands-down victory of Delhi has taken the party on a high pedestrian, ascending their graph, acceptance, and new energy push to the party as we saw the shifting preferences of Delhi’s voters, pragmatic, aspirational, and increasingly transactional.

Winning Delhi is significant for the BJP, but governing it effectively will be an even greater challenge. Unlike in the past, there is no opposition-led state government to blame for any shortcomings. The burden of delivery now rests squarely on the BJP, double-engine government, and the expectations are high in both lower and middle-class inhabitants.

The party must not only sustain the welfare measures introduced by AAP like free electricity, water, mohallaclinics, and bus rides for women—but also make perceptible improvements in infrastructure, air quality, and civic governance including education in government-run schools and hospitals.

Delhi, often seen as a microcosm of India, will test the BJP’s ability to balance populism with development. The AAP’s defeat is not just a setback for the party but also for the broader INDIA alliance and opposition in general. Analysts suggest that a united opposition, with Congress and AAP contesting together, might have fared better, given that several BJP victories came with margins of fewer than 2,000 votes.

As one of the observers said that there was quite a disunity, among opposition ranks that worked to the BJP’s advantage. The same mirroring trends were seen in the Maharashtra, Haryana, and Odisha assembly elections, but no lessons were learned. The Congress, which once ruled Delhi for 15 years under Sheila Dikshit, remains a shadow of its former self, failing to secure a single seat in the 2025 elections.

AAP’s decline is particularly stark given its origins as an anti-corruption movement. AAP, which once positioned itself as the champion of the common man, was much supported by intellectuals and educated people who wanted to see India out of corruption. Sadly, AAP is now embroiled in allegations of corruption, from the liquor policy scandal to reports of extravagant spending on the Chief Minister’s residence.

This has led to public disillusionment. The credibility of the party to some extent was eroded. This loss of credibility and fight between Lt Governor and AAP leadership further brought down the standards of governance in Delhi, thus providing an opening for the BJP, which capitalized on public disappointment. People saw the AAP’s populist model failing because of the bickering between the centre and the state, raising questions about governance and whether such measures can be sustainable in the long term. It was like fighting between two elephants (Lt Governor vs Chief Minister) where the grass (Delhi residents) were being trampled.

The Governance Challenge Ahead for the BJP

BJP will have to learn lessons from the fall of AAP in Delhi. As one of the political observers said, governing Delhi is akin to riding a tiger. The ever-increasing population of Delhi with stagnant and overused infrastructure, the city’s challenges are massive, like congested roads, rampant pollution, haphazard urban development, massive illegal construction of the residential colonies, as well as inefficient waste management. Delhi, despite being the capital of the country, continues to be a polluted and not-so-clean city.

Public dissatisfaction continues to remain; the talk of the town further gets complicated by bureaucratic inefficiencies. BJP needs to understand the feelings of the masses and their needs. It must move beyond rhetoric to deliver substantive change. The capital is plagued by air pollution that peaks every winter, spreading several respiratory diseases with little systemic intervention. Water and sanitation issues remain persistent, despite the city being the administrative hub of the nation.

Transport infrastructure remains another pressing concern. While AAP’s initiatives, such as free bus rides for women, gained traction among commuters, Delhi continues to suffer from chaotic traffic snarls. In addition, poor last-mile connectivity, encroached footpaths, and an overstretched metro system.

The BJP’s new government now has the opportunity to reestablish itself in Delhi. Their main responsibility is to implement long-term solutions rather than just short-term appeasement measures.

Several parts of west, north and east Delhi need a complete makeover. It needs immediately a better and sustainable urban planning to check unregulated construction, encroachments, better roads and footpaths usable for all sections of society.

The BJP has often criticised the previous administration for turning a blind eye to these issues. Now the onus is on them to enact reforms that bring order to the city’s chaotic expansion and control water and air pollution.

For the new government, a clean city, infrastructure improvement, housing regulations, and slum rehabilitation will be key areas where the new government’s performance will be closely scrutinised.

The National Political Impact

For Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party, this Delhi assembly victory is more than just a state election win. It is a political revival. After a weaker-than-expected performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s success in Delhi signals a regained momentum. However, the bar of expectation has been set high. The real test begins now. Failure to meet expectations could turn today’s triumph into tomorrow’s liability.

Presently, the mood for the nation is for the BJP. Delhi’s election results have further solidified the mood. AAP’s loss presently has weakened the INDIA alliance. The same is true with several regional political parties that have not been successful in increasing their acceptance, at least in northern and central India. Additionally, Congress’s inability to reclaim lost ground and maintain the unity of the opposition political parties in the capital raises doubts about its long-term viability as the main opposition force.

Political observers say that for the BJP, the Delhi victory serves as an important marker ahead of the 2029 general elections. It demonstrates that the party can win even in states where it has traditionally struggled. Where once regional political parties dominated.

However, maintaining public trust requires a shift from campaign promises to real governance. While Delhi’s electorate has given the BJP a clear mandate, it remains to be seen whether the party can rise to the occasion and transform governance in the nation’s capital.

The expectations of Delhi’s voters are sky-high. If the BJP fails to meet them, there could be wider ramifications for national politics. Public sentiment can shift quickly. The new ruling party needs to focus on delivery. The next five years will be a defining period for Delhi’s governance and for the BJP’s credibility as a ruling force in India’s most politically significant city, Delhi, where mini-India lives.

Author is National Editor, Greater Kashmir