Delhi Assembly elections 2025: Modi for PM, Kejriwal for CM, indifference for ‘Sheesh Mahal’

In the ongoing Delhi polls, the BJP seems to have run into a similar wall against Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal. It is the first election under the graft cloud for the former chief minister, who rose to power riding an anti-corruption movement.

However, the excise policy charges against Kejriwal, which landed him in jail, or the BJP’s high-pitch ‘Sheesh Mahal’ campaign accusing him of spending lavishly on the CM’s residence, don’t seem to be cutting much ice with AAP supporters on the ground.

They either dismiss these charges as political, noting that “all parties are corrupt”, or don’t believe them at all.

It is only among the middle class that the issue finds some traction, with some voters saying they are shifting loyalties due to the allegations.

Another interesting facet of this AAP support base is that it is not necessarily in opposition to Narendra Modi. A large number of Kejriwal supporters are also Modi supporters. They would just choose them in different polls – Kejriwal for state, Modi for the country.

“Log Modi ji ko desh chalane dete hain, kyunki vo local kaam nahin hai. Vo desh ke liye hai. Yahan, local party ko jitaate hain (People let Modi ji run the country because that is not related to local issues. In Assembly polls, they vote for the local party)”: is a common argument given by voters.

“His ministers may be corrupt, Kejriwal isn’t”; “Everybody makes money in politics, at least he is doing something”, “Kejriwal wants to do a lot for the people, his MLAs are failing him”; and “the Lieutenant Governor is not letting him do what he can” – are some common refrains among AAP supporters, particularly the poor, across Delhi.

In Kejriwal’s New Delhi constituency, where his rival Parvesh Verma of the BJP consistently brings up the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ issue, Om Prakash Gupta (75), a resident of the B R Camp near the Race Course Club, says: “The allegations of corruption don’t mean much to the public. They think, ‘Chaahe Kejriwal corrupt ho bhi, toh humara kaam toh chal raha hai… Suvidha to mil rahi hai (Even if Kejriwal is corrupt, our work is getting done… We are getting the facilities)’.”

Ramesh Kumar, a former pradhan of Nai Basti, a Dalit-dominated colony in Deoli constituency, shows sewage-filled streets around his house when asked about the work done by the AAP government. But he blames the AAP MLA for it, and not Kejriwal.

“He was the CM, he can’t be aware of what is happening in every colony. But last year, when one of the residents brought the condition of our colony, which was far worse then, to his notice, he immediately called the MLA and gave him a dressing down. The MLA then rushed to the colony and got the sewage cleared. This time he has even changed the candidate,” Ramesh says.

In Bijwasan’s Shahabad-Mohammedpur, Aashu Kumar, 28, who is voting for the AAP because of its schemes, says about the corruption allegations: “Look, every politician makes money. Running a party requires money. But at least this guy is doing something.”

His friend Akash adds, “The PM has a massive residence. The President has the Rashtrapati Bhawan. If Kejriwal got a residence made for himself, what is the harm? He was the CM.”

At the end of the colony, Jhunnu Devi, hailing from Khagaria in Bihar but now settled in Delhi, and Saroj Devi are discussing confiscation of battery-run rickshaws by the government a few months ago.

“Why take away a poor man’s livelihood? It never happens in Bihar,” Jhunnu Devi says. Interjecting her, Saroj Devi adds: “It happened when Kejriwal was put in jail. Ever since then Delhi has not been functioning properly.”

In East Delhi’s Kondli, Munish Kumar, who runs a bakery, has no doubt that the AAP government’s now-scrapped excise policy was a clear case of corruption. But he does not blame Kejriwal for it. “Manish Sisodia made money. There is evidence against him. But what is the evidence against Kejriwal?” he says.

Among AAP supporters, there are also those who believe that the AAP government’s failures are due to L-G V K Saxena’s interference in governance.

Mukesh Kumar, who works in the municipality and is waiting for his job to be confirmed, says: “Kejriwal cleared our jobs. Had there been an AAP L-G, it would have been confirmed by now.”

About backing the BJP for the Centre and the AAP for Delhi, many AAP voters say that if the MP and MLA are from different parties, there is competition. And that more attention is given to them because of that.

“I myself voted for the BJP in 2024. But in Delhi, I will vote for the AAP,” says Tarun Kumar, 45, who works in a private firm and lives in Govindpuri, in the Kalkaji constituency.

In Sarita Vihar’s H Block market, Chandan Singh, who runs a paan shop, says PM Modi’s popularity is intact in his neighbourhood in the nearby Indira Camp. However, he adds: “He (Modi) is not the CM candidate. The people here vote for Kejriwal for Delhi because he makes policies that benefit us.”

A Delhi voter, who lives on the premises of a State Bhawan and works as a driver, describes himself as an admirer of the BJP and Modi, as well as the AAP. “I am not a beneficiary of most of the schemes that Kejriwal has brought in – free electricity or water schemes or the free bus ride scheme for women. But he talks about the poor in his speeches. It is good to have a CM who thinks about us. But at the national level, we need a strong PM like Modi,” he says, on condition of anonymity.

Among middle-class residents in West Delhi’s Dwarka, however, the disillusionment with the AAP is evident. “I voted for the AAP in the past two elections, but Kejriwal has turned out to be like the others. I won’t vote for him this time,” says Y B Singh, a real estate consultant.