Are the results of the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 a manifestation of the frustration of the middle class, which has been sidelined by all parties busy wooing the poor?

Did Arvind Kejriwal commit a mistake when he announced his decision to run alone in the Delhi Elections at a time when the talks between the two parties were still going on?

Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 may prove to be a watershed moment for the politics of not only the state but also the country.

Anti-Incumbency Decides Delhi’s Fate

How the anti-incumbency sentiment shaped the result of the polls is evident by the fact that all the stalwarts of the ruling party, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, incumbent Chief Minister Atishi, ministers Gopal Rai and Saurabh Bhardwaj were trailing their respective BJP rivals for quite some time.

Some of them recovered from early shocks, while some others are still trailing.

Arvind Kejriwal saw a see-saw on the margin of votes while Atishi kept on trailing for a longer time and the margin kept on increasing.

AAP Stalwarts Face People’s Wrath

While Kejriwal and Sisodia were accused of being involved in the infamous Delhi liquor case and sent to jail, Atishi faced the brunt of being the “temporary” chief minister, as the opposition termed her.

The middle class is one of the most important factors in the Delhi Elections as it constitutes about 45% of the electorates, and so all eyes were set on it.

The BJP took the early step of reaching out to this segment by holding meetings in almost all constituencies.

They held hundreds of drawing-room meetings and more than a hundred open meetings in constituencies.

Middle-Class Decides

The saffron party also used the RSS and its wings like traders’ body, shopkeepers’ organisations and like to convince the middle class.

The main focus of the BJP was to attack the AAP on the grounds of development. It accused the ruling party of not developing the local areas, ignoring infrastructure development and splurging middle-class taxpayers’ hard-earned money on freebies.

The saffron party also raked up the issue of corruption and the Delhi excise policy, for which Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia went to jail.

The issue of corruption irked the middle-class voters and the voted against the AAP, paying rich dividends to the BJP.

Did Middle Class Reject Arvind Kejriwal’s Overtures?

Analysts believe, the ruling party saw the writing on the wall and felt the pulse of the electorate and took the, corrective measures by declaring sops especially for the middle class.

Arvind Kejriwal gauged the mood of the people like a true leader with his hand on the pulse of the electorate.

The AAP-convenor came out with a hammer and tongs to attack the saffron party and push it backward by making demands, mainly to embarrass it.

In an attempt to woo the middle class, he put seven demands to the Finance Minister to address the issues of the middle class before the Union Budget 2025.

The former Income Tax Commissioner asked Nirmala Sitharaman to increase the income tax exemption limit from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and abolish GST on essential items.

When the Union Finance Minister made the annual income up to 12 lakh tax-free, it was assumed that she decided to take the air out of the AAP’s sail just days before the Delhi Election.

The AAP leader also asked her to increase the budget allocation for education from 2% to 10%, increase the health budget to 10%, and remove the health insurance tax.

BJP’s Game Plan Succeeds

The game plan was ample clear: if the BJP-led Union government accepts his demands, he will take the credit, if it does not, he will put the blame on its door.

In a bid to attract the elderly people of the middle class, he asked Nirmala Sitharaman to make a comprehensive retirement policy and free treatment for senior citizens.

The BJP’s initial strategy was to attack the politics of freebies and push the AAP behind its line of attack. However, it was soon forced to change its strategy and come out in favour of the freebies to appease the lower class, particularly people living in slums.

In an attempt to take the air out of AAP’s sails, the saffron party came out with plans to augment the schemes announced by its arch-rival. The BJP announced monetary assistance of Rs 2,500 to every eligible Delhi woman, assistance of Rs 21,000 to all pregnant women of Delhi, pension schemes for elderly people and many other things.

Analysts believe, with these announcements, the saffron party succeeded in blunting the AAP’s edge.

Did Politics Of Freebies Fail?

After being accused of indulging in the politics of freebies, the AAP came out with full vigour and claimed that such a kind of politics is necessary for the poor of the national capital.

It held “Revdi Per Charcha” meetings in almost all constituencies with a special focus on slums.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party justified its politics by claiming that the poor people get a benefit of at least Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 every month, which helps them fight inflation.

Political observers believe the BJP has returned to the corridor of power in Delhi after a long gap of 27 years by wooing the middle class and cashing on the anti-incumbency sentiments.

The people of Delhi have changed the political dynamics by making it clear that they want development and better infrastructure, though they don’t mind freebies.

The message is clear- freebies are okay, but “dil mange more”.