For the last three Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has held firm control over all seven parliamentary seats in Delhi. At the same time, AAP had been dominating the Delhi Assembly elections for the past decade. This success was largely attributed to middle-class voters—people who voted for the BJP in national elections but switched to AAP when it came to state polls.
However, this time, things took a different turn. After its defeat in the recent Delhi Assembly elections, AAP conducted an internal review and found that its biggest loss came from these very middle-class voters. Unlike in 2014 and 2020, when they had strongly backed AAP at the state level, this time, they stuck with the BJP. As a result, the saffron party managed to break a 27-year-old streak and reclaim Delhi.
AAP’s internal analysis has made one thing clear: the voting pattern that once worked in its favor didn’t hold up this time. Middle-class voters, who previously shifted loyalties between national and state elections, chose to stay with the BJP across the board—leading to AAP’s unexpected defeat.
