NEW DELHI: Twice in the past 10 years, Arvind Kejriwal 's AAP halted BJP's relentless victory march in head-to-head contests in Delhi, reversing 7-0 clean sweeps by the saffron juggernaut in the immediately preceding Lok Sabha polls to win thumping majorities in the assembly elections of 2015 and 2020. Will the script be repeated in 2025? Or have incumbency and charges of corruption dimmed Brand Kejriwal's lustre enough to enable BJP to triumph in a state in which it last won a majority in an assembly election in 1993? The answer will become clear on February 8, when the results of what promises to be a bitter and high-voltage election will be announced. Election Commission of India Tuesday released the poll schedule for Delhi, fixing Feb 5 as the polling date for over 1.
55 crore eligible voters. Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the poll process has to be completed by Feb 10. The outcome of the poll will be crucial for the three main players.
Incumbent AAP is fighting to secure a third consecutive term in the city-state regarded as its bastion, but is looking more vulnerable here than it has in a long time. BJP dominates large swathes of India but has found success elusive for 26 years in the capital (it was voted out of office in 1998 and hasn't run a state govt in Delhi since then). Congress dominated Delhi politics from 1998 to 2013, with Sheila Dikshit serving as three-term CM, but has seen its fortunes plummet since then and is now battling to regain its vote.
