AAP manages to hold two-thirds of reserved constituencies

Though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the 2025 Delhi assembly elections, decimating Aam Aadmi Party candidates across city, the AAP managed to hold on to two-thirds of the 12 Scheduled Caste reserved seats -- perhaps its only succour in these polls in terms of a demographic or community group.

The AAP candidates woneight out of the 12 reserved seats even as the party’s citadel shrank with BJP managing to make inroads by winning four constituencies--Bawana, Mangolpuri, Madipur and Trilokpuri. The AAP had swept all 12 SC reserved seats in 2015 and 2020 assembly elections.

The Dalit community is estimated to make up around 16% Capital’s population and can shape the outcome in around 20 seats, including the 12 reserved constituencies of Sultan Pur Majra, Mangol Puri, Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar, Madipur, Deoli, Ambedkar Nagar, Trilokpuri, Kondli, Seemapuri, Gokalpur and Bawana.

The 2025 poll data shows that even in the eight seats that the AAP managed to win, the margins were down considerably compared to previous elections. For instance, at Ambedkar Nagar, AAPs Ajay Dutt got 46,285 votes and defeated BJP candidate Khushi Ram Chunar by 4,230 votes. In 2020, Dutt had won against Chunar by a margin of 28,327 votes. Further, the AAP secured the Patel Nagar seat with a margin of 4,049 votes and with a margin of 30,935 in 2020.

Since its rise to power in 2013, the AAP has positioned itself as the party for Dalits with images of Dr BR Ambedkar prominently displayed in the party’s offices and at press conferences.

The issue of Dalit pride also figured repeatedly in the Delhi election campaign, with Arvind Kejriwal slamming home minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Ambedkar in Parliament that the Opposition claimed were disrespectful.

The AAP held a large protest outside the BJP headquarters on that issue, and released an AI-generated video in which Ambedkar was seen blessing Kejriwal -- though it partly backfired due to a viral user-generated modification in which the AI-created Ambedkar is seen hitting Kejriwal after blessing him.

Later in the campaign, the BJP and the Congress got back at the AAP over an incident in Amritsar (in AAP-ruled Punjab) where a man allegedly damaged an Ambedkar statue. Now it was the BJP and Congress’s turn to hold protests near Kejriwal’s residence over the issue.

Even as parties went back and forth over Ambedkar -- announcing schemes and scholarships while criticising each other -- the situation on the ground was slowly changing.

First, the AAP was facing criticism over its handling of two key Dalit faces, former ministers Raj Kumar Anand and Rajendra Pal Gautam, who left the party and joined BJP and Congress respectively.

Second, Tanvir Aeijaz, associate professor of political science at Ramjas College, said that Dalits and Muslims have largely voted for the AAP, however, there is a class divide which is being seen. “Dalits who are relatively well off are gravitating towards BJP. But people at margins are still face discrimination and bear the maximum brunt. There is a class and caste factor interplay which is being witnessed,” he added.

The Dalit population in the Capital, meanwhile, still faces the lack of job opportunities. “AAP had promised to end the contractual work but it never implemented it in true sense. We need better employment and end to manual scavenging. BJP has promised to provide Dr Ambedkar scholarship for youth and rename the Talkatora Stadium. The party should get started on delivering their promises now,” Deepak Pihal, sanitation workers’ union leader from Sultanpur Majra said.

Even though BJP has made some inroads in AAPs turf and despite the reverses, at least there is some consolation in this section.