Elections

In the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, Congress finds itself at a crucial juncture. While the party has little to lose, its performance will determine its future relevance. After severing ties with its ally AAP, Congress is aggressively targeting Arvind Kejriwal, accusing his party of misgovernance and corruption. With its sights set on around 20-25 constituencies, Congress aims to reclaim its traditional voter base, particularly the Muslim community, by focusing on issues like the 2020 Delhi riots and rising service costs. The party is positioning itself as an alternative to both AAP and the BJP, hoping to capitalize on growing anti-incumbency sentiment. However, Congress’s challenge lies in effectively exposing AAP’s failures while highlighting its own governance legacy under Sheila Dikshit. The outcome of this battle could shape Congress's future in Delhi and its broader political standing.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, claiming that the toilet in Kejriwal's ‘Sheesh Mahal’ is more expensive than the entire slums of the city. Addressing a conference for slum dwellers, Shah accused the AAP government of neglecting basic needs such as clean water and housing for the poor. In response, Kejriwal rejected the claims, calling them lies, and vowed to expose the BJP's intentions with evidence ahead of the elections.

The Union Cabinet has approved two crucial bills aimed at implementing the "One Nation, One Election" plan, which seeks to hold simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. If passed in Parliament without amendments, the initiative could be implemented as early as 2034. The bills are based on recommendations from a high-level committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which proposes aligning the terms of state assemblies with the Lok Sabha’s five-year term. The Election Commission of India will play a key role in overcoming significant logistical challenges, including procuring and deploying a large number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which may take up to three years to arrange.

In its final list for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced key candidates, including Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi and Atishi from Kalkaji. The list of 38 candidates also features prominent leaders like Saurabh Bharadwaj, Gopal Rai, Satyendra Kumar Jain, and Durgesh Pathak. Kejriwal has ruled out a pre-poll alliance with Congress, emphasizing that AAP will contest independently. The elections, scheduled for February 2025, are expected to see tough competition, including from Parvesh Sahib Singh, the son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma, who is likely to contest from New Delhi.

Prashant Kishor, founder of Jan Suraaj, expressed concern over the NDA's victory in Bihar's assembly bypolls, despite their long-standing failure to address the state's backwardness. Although his party made its electoral debut, all four candidates lost, with three forfeiting their deposits. Kishor downplayed the losses, saying it was more concerning that the NDA managed to sweep the polls despite its failure to improve Bihar. He also criticized Nitish Kumar’s leadership, calling him a "spent force," and confirmed that Jan Suraaj would contest all 243 seats in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections.