Delhi election: These 15 close contests of 2020 may decide the 2025 AAP-vs-BJP battle

The Delhi Assembly elections, scheduled for February 5 with counting on February 8, are shaping up to be a critical battle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Close contests in several constituencies that witnessed narrow victory margins in 2020 will play a decisive role in determining the outcome.

In elections held last time, the AAP secured 62 of the 70 seats, but 17 constituencies saw tightly contested races with victory margins ranging from just 680 to 10,000 votes. Of these, the BJP won four seats with slim margins in Karawal Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Vishwas Nagar, and Badarpur. The BJP has changed its candidates in three of these constituencies in a strategic shift.

The AAP, on the other hand, has replaced nine of its MLAs who won with narrow margins in 2020. Analysts suggest that with anti-incumbency against the decade-long AAP rule and a potential revival of Congress’s vote share reminiscent of Sheila Dixit’s tenure, the electoral dynamics could change substantially.

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The BJP is leveraging anti-incumbency sentiments and focusing on constituencies that faced narrow losses even during AAP’s 2020 wave. The ruling AAP’s governance model, heavily reliant on welfare schemes is also under scrutiny with these polls viewed as a referendum on its performance.

With high stakes and dynamic candidate swaps in key constituencies, the elections promise a fierce contest that could redefine Delhi’s political arena.