The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to form its government in Delhi after a gap of more than 26 years as it won 48 of the 70 seats in the assembly election, the results of which were announced on Saturday. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party secured victories from 22 seats and the Congress drew a blank for a third straight time.
The BJP’s resounding victory in the 2025 Delhi assembly election has also caught the attention of global media, with many outlets framing it as a major political shift in India’s capital.
How global media reacted
News agency Reuters described the election outcome as a “landmark win” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, highlighting how the BJP’s campaign focused on governance, law and order, and infrastructure. “The victory underscores the party’s growing appeal in urban centers, particularly among middle-class voters who once backed AAP,” the report said.
Another news agency Associated Press (AP) called the BJP’s return to power in Delhi a “major political comeback”, pointing out that AAP’s declining popularity and internal struggles played a role in its defeat. It also noted that the Congress, despite a marginal increase in its vote share, remained a distant player in the contest.
El País, a leading Spanish newspaper, covered the event with the headline, “El partido del primer ministro indio, Narendra Modi, regresa al poder en Delhi después de casi tres décadas,” translating to “The party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to power in Delhi after nearly three decades”. The article discussed the BJP’s electoral success and its implications for Delhi’s governance.
The Financial Times took a more analytical approach, discussing how the results could impact India’s broader political landscape. It pointed out that the AAP, once seen as a strong regional force, now faces an existential crisis. “Delhi was AAP’s last stronghold. Losing it to the BJP puts serious questions on its national ambitions,” the report observed.
Al Jazeera spoke to Rasheed Kidwai, a political analyst, who told the publisher that the results are significant “because this victory is a story of BJP’s micromanagement in constituencies. And tells us that they are unmatched”.
“Delhi is a mini India, it has a substantial population from various regions of the country – and the BJP has shown that if they can win Delhi, they can win anything,” Rasheed Kidwai told Al Jazeera.
“It feels like BJP will never lose an election again. They have the system sewn up tight,” the outlet quoted Nivedita Menon, a professor of politics at Delhi’s prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), as saying.
BBC described the election as a battle of prestige for both the BJP and AAP. The report underscored that for the BJP, securing Delhi represents more than just electoral success—it marks a crucial foothold in the nation’s capital after being out of power there since 1998.
