Delhi’s electoral history is as dynamic and varied as the city itself. Over the decades, the national capital has witnessed shifts in voter preferences, the rise and fall of major parties, and the emergence of new political forces. Below is an overview of Delhi’s key elections—first under the early Legislative Assembly (1951), then the Metropolitan Council (1967–1983), and finally the revived Legislative Assembly (1993 onward)—focusing on winners, losers, vote shares, seats won, turnout, and electorate size.
1. The First Delhi Legislative Assembly (1951)
- Registered Electors: 891,669
- Polling Percentage: 58.52%
- Constituencies: 42 (48 seats in total, given some double-member seats)
The 1951 election marked Delhi’s earliest experiment with democratic self-government under the Government of Part C States Act. The major contenders were:
- Indian National Congress (INC): Contested 47 seats, won 39 with 52.09% vote share.
- All India Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS): Contested 31 seats, won 5 with 21.89% vote share.
- Socialist Party (SP): Contested 6 seats, won 2 (2.38% vote share).
- Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha (HMS): Contested 5 seats, won 1.
- Independents (IND): A large field of 78 independents secured 1 seat overall, garnering 15.9% of votes collectively.
The Congress emerged as the clear winner, gaining a comfortable majority. The Bharatiya Jan Sangh (precursor to today’s BJP) announced its presence but remained smaller compared to the Congress juggernaut.
2. Delhi Metropolitan Council (1967–1983)
After the 1951 Assembly was dissolved in the 1950s restructuring, Delhi’s legislature took the form of a Metropolitan Council between 1967 and the early 1990s. Although this body had limited powers, these elections laid groundwork for future party alignments.
1967
- Council Size: 56 elected seats
- Winners’ Vote Shares (approx.):
- Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS): 57.89% of seats
- Republican Party of India (RPI): 33.93% of seats (two different RPI factions are listed)
- A few seats went to Independents.
1972
- Registered Electors: 2,068,437
- Polling Percentage: 68.86%
- Council Size: 56 (49 general, 7 reserved for SC)
- Key Parties:
- Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS): Contested 56, won 5, 38.47% vote share.
- INC: Contested 52, won 44, 48.54% vote share (dominant performer).
- Communist Party of India (CPI): Won 3 seats.
- Congress (O): Secured 2 seats; a breakaway group from Congress.
- Independents: 104 ran, only 2 won.
A resurgent Congress won overwhelmingly under the leadership of Indira Gandhi’s national momentum.
1977
- Registered Electors: 2,740,443
- Polling Percentage: 55.85%
- Council Size: 56
- Janata Party (JNP): 56 contested, 46 won, 52.5% vote share.
- INC: 52 contested, 10 won, 36.15% vote share.
In the post-Emergency wave, the Janata Party triumphed over Congress, reflecting the national anti-Emergency sentiment.
1983
- Registered Electors: 3,712,524
- Polling Percentage: 55.29%
- Council Size: 56
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): Contested 50, won 19, 36.99% vote share.
- INC: Contested 56, won 34, 47.5% vote share.
- Janata Party (JNP): Won just 1 seat, with 3.66% vote share.
- Lok Dal (LKD): Won 2 seats, 4.09% vote share.
Congress regained its footing with 34 seats, while the BJP solidified itself as the principal opposition, a precursor to future Delhi battles.
3. Rebirth of the Delhi Legislative Assembly (1993 Onward)
After political reorganization, Delhi regained a Legislative Assembly in 1993. From this point, elections were fought for 70 single-member constituencies.
1993
- Registered Electors: 5,850,545
- Polling Percentage: 61.75%
- Seats: 70 (57 General, 13 SC)
- BJP: 70 contested, won 49, with 42.82% vote share.
- INC: 70 contested, won 14, with 34.48% vote share.
- Janata Dal (JD): Won 4 seats (12.65% share).
- Independents: 766 contested, 3 won (5.92% share).
The BJP formed Delhi’s government under Madan Lal Khurana, capitalizing on nationwide trends favoring the party in the early 1990s.
1998
- Registered Electors: 8,420,141
- Polling Percentage: 48.99%
- Seats: 70
- BJP: 67 contested, won 15, 34.02% share.
- INC: 70 contested, won 52, 47.76% share.
- Janata Dal: Managed just 1 seat.
- Independents: 353 stood, 2 won, 8.7% share.
Congress, led by Sheila Dikshit, won decisively—starting a 15-year tenure (three consecutive terms).
2003
- Registered Electors: 8,448,324
- Polling Percentage: 53.42%
- Seats: 70
- BJP: Won 20, with 35.22% vote share.
- INC: Won 47, with 48.13% share.
- NCP, JD(S): 1 seat each.
- Independents: 284 contested, 1 seat, 4.86% share.
Sheila Dikshit’s Congress continued in power, reinforcing its hold over Delhi.
2008
- Registered Electors: 10,726,573
- Polling Percentage: 57.58%
- Seats: 70 (58 General, 12 SC)
- BJP: 69 contested, 23 won, 36.34% share.
- INC: 70 contested, 43 won, 40.31% share.
- BSP: Won 2 seats, 14.05% share—noticeable vote share surge at the time.
- Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) and Independents: 1 seat each.
Congress’s third straight victory under Sheila Dikshit marked one of its strongest runs in any Indian state capital.
4. The Emergence of Aam Aadmi Party (2013 and Beyond)
2013
- Registered Electors: 11,936,360
- Polling Percentage: 65.63%
- Seats: 70
- BJP: 68 contested, 31 won, 33.07% vote share.
- INC: 70 contested, 8 won, 24.55% share.
- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP): 70 contested, 28 won, 29.49% share.
- NOTA: 0.63%
- Others (JD(U), SAD, Independents): Few seats.
A hung assembly emerged. Despite the BJP being the largest party, AAP formed a short-lived government with outside support from the Congress.
2015
- Registered Electors: 13,313,295
- Polling Percentage: 67.12%
- Seats: 70
- AAP: 70 contested, 67 won, 54.34% share (a landslide).
- BJP: 69 contested, 3 won, 32.19% share.
- INC: 70 contested, 0 won, 9.65% share.
- NOTA: 0.4%.
Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP decimated both BJP and INC, securing one of the largest Assembly majorities in recent Indian electoral history.
2020
- Registered Electors: 14,797,990
- Polling Percentage: 62.55%
- Seats: 70
- AAP: 70 contested, 62 won, 53.57% share.
- BJP: 67 contested, 8 won, 38.51% share.
- INC: 66 contested, 0 won, 4.26% share.
- NOTA: 0.46%.
AAP comfortably retained power, further marginalizing the Congress, which drew a near-zero seat count again.
5. The 2025 Election: A Shift Back to BJP
- Registered Electors: 15,537,634
- Polling Percentage: 60.44%
- Seats: 70 (68 BJP-contested, 70 INC & AAP each)
- BJP: 47 seats won, 46.34% vote share.
- AAP: 23 seats, 43.45% vote share.
- INC: 0 seats, 6.4% vote share.
- NOTA: 0.57%.
In a significant turnaround, the BJP returned to a clear majority after two consecutive AAP-dominated assemblies. While AAP’s vote share remained strong, it was not enough to outdo the BJP’s resurgence. The Congress, once the bastion of Delhi politics, again failed to secure a single seat.