Delhi polls: Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav blame Kejriwal for AAP's loss

Delhi elections results 2025: The former AAP leaders said Kejriwal's controversial "Rs 45 crore Sheesh Mahal" and the party's departure from its original vision of alternative politics led to the part

Ousted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav have held party chief Arvind Kejriwal accountable for the AAP's poor performance in the 2025 Delhi elections.  

 

Both Yadav and Bhushan, who were among AAP’s founding members, were removed from the party in 2015.  

 

The former AAP leaders have pointed to Kejriwal’s controversial “Rs 45 crore Sheesh Mahal” and the party’s departure from its original vision of alternative politics, arguing that AAP has turned into a leader-centric organisation. They believe these factors played a crucial role in the party's defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).   

 

 

After nearly 27 years, the BJP has reclaimed power in Delhi, securing a landslide victory. The party won 48 out of 70 seats, while AAP managed to secure only 22.  

 

Delhi elections: Prashant Bhushan’s take on AAP’s defeat  

 

In a detailed post on X, Prashant Bhushan attributed AAP’s electoral loss in Delhi largely to Arvind Kejriwal, stating, “A party formed for alternative politics which was supposed to be transparent, accountable & democratic was quickly transformed by Arvind into a supremo dominated, non transparent & corrupt party which didn’t pursue a Lokpal & removed its own Lokpal.”   

Kejriwal is largely responsible for AAP’s Delhi debacle. A party formed for alternative politics which was supposed to be transparent, accountable & democratic was quickly transformed by Arvind into a supremo dominated, non transparent & corrupt party which didn’t pursue a Lokpal…

— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) February 8, 2025

 

Criticising Kejriwal’s leadership, Bhushan added, “He built a 45 cr sheesh mahal for himself & began travelling in luxury cars. He binned 33 detailed Policy reports of expert committees set up by AAP, saying that the party will adopt expedient policies when the time comes.”  

 

He further accused the AAP chief of relying on empty rhetoric, stating, “He felt that politics could be done by bluster & propaganda. This is the beginning of the end of AAP.”  

 

Delhi elections: Yogendra Yadav’s response to AAP’s loss

 

Yogendra Yadav, psephologist and co-founder of Swaraj India, described the election results as a significant blow to the idea of alternative politics in India.  

 

"This is a setback not just for the AAP but all those who dreamt of alternative politics in this country 10-12 years ago. It is a setback for all the parties which supported AAP and for the entire opposition in the country," Yadav told PTI.  

 

He further argued that AAP abandoned its commitment to alternative politics early on and instead focused solely on welfare schemes, which, according to him, reached their saturation point.