Delhi Assembly Elections: The role of national parties has always been important in the history of Delhi Assembly elections. In the 1998 and 2008 elections, seven national parties had made their fortunes in the electoral fray. While in the 2025 assembly elections, only five national parties including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPM) are in the fray.
Interestingly, in 2025, this will be the first time you’ll come down as a national party. In the 2015, 2020 elections, he had to go to the state party. While the Congress and the BJP have been contesting as national parties since the 1993 elections.
In the first assembly elections in Delhi in 1993, six national parties including BJP, CPI, CPM, Congress, Janata Dal, Janata Party were in the fray. There were three state parties including BSP, AIFB, Shiv Sena. Since 1993, the influence of regional politics in Delhi has grown from time to time.
However, at least in the first assembly elections, only three state parties contested. This time, seven state parties are participating in the assembly elections. These include Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Janata Dal United (JDU), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India Marxist-Leninist Liberation (CPIML), Communist Gadar Party of India, All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and seven state parties are in the fray.
BSP and CPM away from the government in Delhi
The best performance so far of the BSP, which has been contesting as a national party in Delhi, was in 2008. In this, the party tasted victory for the first time and won 2 seats. The party’s vote share was 14 per cent. The BSP has fielded candidates on 69 seats. At the same time, the CPI(M) candidate has not yet won elections in the capital. This time, the party is contesting on two seats. The party’s candidate is in the election campaign with demands including minimum wage, employment guarantee, unemployment monthly allowance, giving full statehood to Delhi, among others. The BSP and CPI(M) have not yet been able to come to power in Delhi.