Why no alliance with AAP could be a blessing in disguise for Delhi Congress

The Congress, which has been relegated in Delhi politics since 2013, is looking to turn the tables on the AAP with calculated strategy and reviving an old battle which started its downfall

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal pulled no surprises by ruling out the possibility of an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. While the two parties are part of the opposition INDIA bloc and contested the Lok Sabha polls together, they remain adversaries at the state level.

 

Even before Kejriwal formally ruled out an alliance, it was evident that AAP would not join hands with the Congress. The Kejriwal-led party has dominated Delhi politics in the last two elections with near-perfect mandates.

 

However, this presents an opportunity for the Congress. After being sidelined in Delhi politics since 2013, the party is looking to rebuild its presence with a calculated strategy and by reigniting an old battle that marked the beginning of its decline.

 

 

On equal footing with the BJP

 

For a party once synonymous with power in Delhi, Congress has been relegated to the status of a third player. The leadership vacuum created after the death of former chief minister Sheila Dikshit in 2019, coupled with internal factionalism, has further weakened its position.

 

Several top leaders, including Arvinder Singh Lovely and Naseeb Singh, left the party earlier this year, highlighting its organisational struggles.

 

However, going solo in the Delhi polls might work in Congress’ favour. The BJP, which also lacks a strong state-level leader, has been overly dependent on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver results—an approach that did not succeed in the 2015 and 2020 Assembly elections.

 

Had the Congress entered an alliance with AAP, it would have been reduced to a junior partner, contesting only a handful of seats. Given AAP’s landslide victories of 62 and 67 out of 70 seats in the last two elections, Congress would have had little scope to assert itself in a city it ruled for over three decades post-Independence.

 

Slight increase in vote share

 

The Congress last tasted victory in Delhi in 2008, when it won 43 of 70 seats with a vote share of 40.31 per cent. Its decline began with the 2013 elections, where it secured just 8 seats and a vote share of 24.55 per cent.

 

The party’s fortunes plummeted further in 2015 and 2020, with vote shares of 9.7 per cent and 4.26 per cent, respectively, failing to win a single seat.   

Delhi Assembly Elections	Seats Won by Congress	Vote Share (%)
2008	43	40.31
2013	8	24.55
2015	0	9.68
2020	0	4.26

 

However, the 2022 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) election offered a glimmer of hope. Congress secured 9 seats and improved its vote share to 11.68 per cent, a slight recovery compared to the 2020 Assembly polls.

 

Reviving an old battle

 

The Congress recently announced 21 candidates for the Delhi elections, including Sandeep Dikshit, the son of Sheila Dikshit, who will contest from the New Delhi seat currently held by Arvind Kejriwal.

 

The New Delhi constituency was a Congress stronghold, with Sheila Dikshit winning it consistently from 1998 to 2013. However, in 2013, Kejriwal defeated her, campaigning on corruption allegations against her government.

 

As Delhi heads into the 2025 polls, the narrative has shifted. Kejriwal now faces corruption charges linked to the scrapped excise policy and has spent months in jail. By fielding Sheila Dikshit’s son against him, Congress is reigniting the battle where it first began to falter, signalling its intent to challenge AAP’s dominance head-on.