'Mohabbat Ki Dukan' in Delhi anytime soon? Crushing defeat for Congress yet again

NEW DELHI: The counting of votes for 70 assembly constituencies in Delhi is in progress. According to early trends, the BJP is storming back to power in the national capital, after 27 years, in emphatic style. Aam Aadmi Party has suffered a heavy blow with their numero uno Arvind Kejriwal barely out of danger, leading by just 200 votes from the New Delhi constituency.

Currently, Congress is trailing in all seats. Congress's Delhi unit president Devender Yadav was earlier leading in the North West Delhi constituency. At one stage, the Congress was leading up to three seats. Politics in India is never short of surprises. Take for example the status of the grand old party in Delhi. Almost a decade back, they were dictating Delhi with utmost power. And now, in 2025, they are teetering on the edge, trailing in all seats in the same old national capital they once had massive sway.

In the 2013 assembly elections, the Congress won eight seats. The party got 24.55 per cent votes. On that day, the BJP got 33.07 per cent votes and Aam Aadmi Party got 29.49 per cent votes. BJP emerged as the single-largest party and won 31 seats and was five seats short of the required majority in the 70-member House. However, Congress supported AAP to form an alliance government and BJP was thus kept out of power. Interestingly, the alliance government had a life span of just 49 days.

Despite Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra actively participating in the election campaign, the results remain sombre. Ironically, in constituencies where Congress performed well, the beneficiaries were BJP as Congress helped the saffron party split votes from Kejriwal’s AAP. BJP vote share in Delhi is at an all-time peak with 48 per cent.

It should be seen how the INDI alliance and Congress weigh this defeat in the aftermath of the results.