Prashant Bhushan Slams Kejriwal After AAP’s Defeat: ‘Party Lost Its Way’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stormed back to power in Delhi after a 27-year hiatus, winning 48 out of 70 assembly seats in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a severe setback, securing just 22 seats— a significant drop from its 2020 tally of 62 seats. The Congress, which contested separately despite being a part of the INDIA bloc, failed to win a single seat.

The counting of votes took place on Saturday, February 8, marking a turning point in Delhi’s political landscape. The defeat of AAP has been attributed by its former members to party supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s "bluster, propaganda," and departure from its original vision of alternative politics.

Former AAP Leaders Blame Kejriwal for Defeat

Swaraj India party co-founder and psephologist Yogendra Yadav, a founding member of AAP who was expelled from the party in 2015 along with Prashant Bhushan, termed AAP’s defeat a major setback for those who once believed in alternative politics.

Prashant Bhushan, a senior advocate and former AAP leader, criticized Kejriwal’s leadership, stating that the party was originally meant to be transparent, accountable, and democratic but was turned into a "supremo-dominated, non-transparent, and corrupt entity." He accused Kejriwal of building a lavish Rs 45 crore "sheesh mahal" for himself, traveling in luxury cars, and discarding 33 detailed policy reports by expert committees in favor of "expedient policies."

“This is the beginning of the end of AAP,” Bhushan remarked, holding Kejriwal responsible for the party’s downfall.

Echoing similar sentiments, Yogendra Yadav noted that AAP had abandoned the idea of alternative politics soon after coming to power and became confined to welfare schemes that had reached a saturation point. "It is a setback for all those who dreamt of alternative politics in this country 10-12 years ago," Yadav stated.

From Lokpal to Losing Polls: Kejriwal’s Journey

Arvind Kejriwal’s political journey began when he resigned from his position as an income tax officer in 2000 to become an RTI activist, living in Delhi’s slums to understand the struggles of the poor. He rose to prominence as a key figure in the 2011 India Against Corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, where his indefinite hunger strikes and protests for the Jan Lokpal Bill earned him national recognition.

In 2014, after serving only 49 days as Delhi’s Chief Minister, Kejriwal resigned when the Congress party opposed the Jan Lokpal Bill. However, in 2015, AAP made a resounding comeback, winning 67 out of 70 seats. This success was followed by another landslide victory in 2020, where AAP secured 62 seats.

Kejriwal’s leadership was further challenged in 2024 when he resigned again after being jailed in connection with the excise scam. Confident of public support, Kejriwal had declared that the people of Delhi would give him a "certificate of honesty" in the 2025 assembly elections. However, the results proved otherwise, marking a significant downfall for both him and AAP.

With BJP’s emphatic return to power and AAP’s future in question, Delhi’s political landscape stands at a crossroads, reflecting a shift in public sentiment after a decade of AAP governance.

Also Read: End of an Era: AAP’s Top Leaders Lose Ground in Historic Delhi Polls