The rise and fall
In the months that followed, Kejriwal became a household name. His simple bush shirt, ballpoint pen, and ordinary chappals became symbols of his modest lifestyle. He kept his promise of free water and electricity, winning over the city’s lower-income population. When AAP returned to power in 2015 with a landslide victory, stopping the Modi-Shah juggernaut, Kejriwal became a hero for those opposing the BJP. He even slept on Delhi’s streets in winter as a protesting chief minister. Back then, the former IRS officer-turned-politician walked the talk.
But over the years, that image began to fade. And on Saturday, the results of the Delhi Assembly elections made it clear: AAP’s golden era had come to a halt. After two full terms and 49 days in power since 2013, AAP faced a crushing defeat. The party still managed 44% of the vote share, but that was nine percentage points lower than in the previous elections. More shockingly, Kejriwal himself, who once defeated the formidable Sheila Dikshit by over 25,000 votes, lost his seat by more than 4,000 votes.
What went wrong?
According to The Times of India, former AAP leader and journalist Ashutosh pointed to two major controversies that damaged Kejriwal’s credibility: the 2022 liquor case and the bungalow scandal. “Nobody expected a man who once said ministers should live in two-room flats to spend over Rs 40 crore on his own house. Kejriwal entered politics to change the system, but instead, the system changed him,” he told TOI.
The liquor case, still in court, led to Kejriwal spending five months in Tihar Jail. Social commentator Santosh Desai told TOI that these controversies chipped away at Kejriwal’s once-strong personal aura. But he also pointed out that the BJP had strategically restricted AAP’s ability to act in Delhi. “Their hands were tied, and they had very little room to manoeuvre,” he said.Desai believes Kejriwal lost his political identity. “To counter the right wing, he started mimicking them, hoping it would protect AAP. But in the process, he lost sight of who he was. That allowed the BJP to exploit the situation to their advantage,” he said.
The freebie playbook and its limits
Kejriwal’s government introduced free electricity (200 units), free water (20 kilolitres), improved government schools, and better hospitals with free medicine. Women were given free bus rides, securing AAP a loyal vote bank among lower-income groups. However, issues like Delhi’s worsening roads and rising pollution showed that governance had taken a backseat.
Desai told TOI that AAP had stopped focusing on the basics of civic governance. “They were living off their early successes. But after a while, it became more about staying in power than improving the city,” he said.
The loss of a movement
Political scientist Dipankar Gupta offered another reason for AAP’s decline. He told TOI that AAP was born out of a movement but, over time, lost that “movement spirit”: the energy, participation, and clear goals that had once made it different. “Without that spirit, AAP became just another political party competing with the old players. Structurally, it was never designed for long-term administration,” he said.
Similarly, Hilal Ahmed of CSDS believes AAP lost its ideological uniqueness long before this election. “Its leaders and cadres relied on past successes. But after this defeat, many may no longer see Kejriwal as an inspiring figure,” he told TOI.
What’s next for Kejriwal?
Social scientist Shiv Visvanathan told TOI that Kejriwal needs to reinvent his politics. “He must find a new way to talk about democracy, beyond just elections and representation. Otherwise, he’ll be stuck in the same cycle of welfare politics,” he said.
The big question now is, does Kejriwal, the street-fighter of the past, have the strength for another battle in a political landscape that is more challenging than ever?
Inputs from TOI
