Shrinking footprint: AAP says onus on BJP to fix all of Delhi’s problems

Just weeks after its defeat in the Delhi assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) decision to not contest the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) mayoral polls leaves the outfit its most diminished footprint in the Capital since its electoral debut.

From the political highs of 2022 — when it won a landslide in Punjab, fought spirited campaigns in Goa and Gujarat, and ended the year by sweeping the MCD polls — which followed thumping victories in Delhi assembly polls in 2013, 2015 and 2020, the AAP has, in just two and a half years, now finds itself purely in the opposition in all power centres in Delhi.

While party leaders on Monday acknowledged that the AAP lost its majority in MCD due to a string of defections, they attempted to frame the decision as a principled stand — avoiding “horse-trading” and “poaching” to secure victory. Yet, multiple party members admitted in private that the move had left many in the party disillusioned.

At a press conference, Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, flanked by former Delhi CM Atishi, declared that the party would not field a mayoral candidate and challenged the BJP to run a “four-engine government” in Delhi. “From now on, BJP is solely responsible for every problem in Delhi. Within a month, their bluff will be exposed across the country,” Bharadwaj said.

Until now, responsibilities like sanitation and civic services were jointly blamed on both the AAP and the bureaucracy, with the AAP arguing that a hostile administrative set-up crippled its ability to deliver.

A senior AAP councillor, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the decision not to contest the election “a surprise.” “It wasn’t discussed with us. We should’ve at least put up a fight — the BJP did the same when they lacked the numbers,” the councillor said.

To be sure, Delhi’s governance is split across three tiers — the Centre through the lieutenant governor, the elected state government, and the MCD. Since December 2022, AAP controlled two of these, but its battles with the bureaucracy — which reports to the LG — meant its authority was often undercut at both levels.

“The MCD commissioner and officials were uncooperative. None of the mayor’s directives — on MLA fund projects, tax rebates, or regularising workers — were implemented,” said another AAP leader. “But the public blames the mayor and the party for the city’s problems. With no real power, we took all the flak,” the leader added, suggesting the exit from the MCD race could help AAP politically in the long run.

The AAP has also been besieged by corruption allegations and arrests. The jailing of party chief Arvind Kejriwal in 2024 delayed last year’s mayoral polls and further weakened the party’s anti-corruption image. The resulting leadership vacuum contributed to its weakening hold on the municipality.

When the AAP won 134 seats in the 2022 MCD elections against BJP’s 104, it looked set for a long innings. In February 2023, Shelly Oberoi defeated BJP candidate (and now CM) Rekha Gupta to become mayor by 34 votes. But by November 2024, the AAP’s winning margin shrank to just three votes amid signs of cross-voting. Defections escalated during the run-up to the 2025 Delhi assembly polls. Officials now say BJP has the support of 135 members in the 250-member house, compared to AAP’s 119 — a 16-vote advantage.

A senior AAP leader in the MCD said the BJP was in touch with multiple councillors and further defections were feared. “Every previous mayoral or standing committee election has seen cross-voting in BJP’s favour. With them now in power, the risk of losing even more ground in a contested vote was high,” the leader said.

Over the past 2.5 years, the AAP’s MCD tenure was marked by administrative deadlock. More than 30 house meetings ended in chaos without meaningful discussion. Work to constitute 27 ad hoc and special committees — including the crucial standing committee — has remained stalled due to political and legal battles.

From the AAP’s perspective, walking away from the MCD may allow it to cede a politically unrewarding position while shifting full responsibility for civic delivery to the BJP. With sanitation, waste management, drainage, and local infrastructure falling under MCD’s remit, failures in delivery become quickly visible — and politically costly.

Atishi, in Monday’s press conference, reminded voters of the BJP’s frequent blame game during AAP’s mayoral stint. “BJP ministers, like Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, made daily excuses blaming us for rising pollution, even falsely accusing us of burning waste. Now, they have no excuse. They have full power — and full responsibility,” she said.

Another AAP leader added, “The BJP now has a triple-engine government — Centre, Delhi government, and MCD. They no longer have AAP to blame. We can now focus all our energy on holding them accountable and ensuring they fulfil their promises to the people.”