Mamata blames Congress for AAP defeat in Delhi elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ended the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) decades-long dominance in Delhi, winning the assembly elections after 27 years. The party capitalized on the split between AAP and Congress, which failed to form an alliance. In 14 key constituencies, Congress’s vote share exceeded the margin by which BJP defeated AAP, highlighting the impact of the opposition’s disunity. Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held both Congress and AAP responsible for the loss, stating that a joint effort could have prevented BJP’s victory.

Ahead of the West Bengal assembly session, Mamata Banerjee met TMC MLAs and made it clear that her party would contest the 2026 Bengal elections alone. "We do not need anyone in Bengal. We will return with a two-thirds majority," she asserted. She also pointed out that AAP did not support Congress in Haryana, further deepening the INDIA bloc’s internal conflicts. Meanwhile, BJP’s Bengal co-incharge Amit Malviya claimed that Mamata’s stance showed she was panicked by Delhi’s results and feared a similar outcome in Bengal.

Following its Delhi victory, BJP has shifted focus to Bengal, where assembly elections are scheduled for 2026. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, during a visit to Kolkata, declared that BJP would replicate its Delhi win in Bengal. Bengal BJP leaders echoed this sentiment, arguing that just as AAP was defeated, TMC would face a similar downfall. However, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dismissed these claims, stating that Delhi’s elections have no impact on Bengal’s political landscape.

The INDIA bloc, an alliance of opposition parties, now faces serious challenges, with Bihar elections due this year, Bengal in 2026, and Uttar Pradesh in 2027. The failure of Congress and AAP to work together in Delhi has raised concerns about opposition unity in future elections. Omar Abdullah, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, commented on the situation with a social media post saying, "Keep fighting among yourselves," taking a dig at the opposition’s internal rifts. With BJP’s morale high after the Delhi win and opposition parties struggling to coordinate, all eyes are now on upcoming elections in key states.