Atishi Resigns As Delhi CM After BJP's Thumping Victory Ends AAP's Decade-Long Rule

The BJP won the Delhi elections after securing 48 seats, while the AAP managed to win just 22 seats out of the 70 Assembly constituencies.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Atishi on Sunday tendered her resignation to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena at the Raj Niwas, paving way for the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a government in the national capital. Following her resignation, LG Saxena dissolved the Seventh Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from February 8, 2025.

The development comes a day after the Aam Aadmi Party faced a crushing defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, which saw BJP make a historic comeback in the city after 27 years. The BJP swept out AAP by securing 48 seats, while the AAP managed to win just 22 seats out of the 70 Assembly constituencies. 

AAP faced a tough fight and saw prominent party leaders including former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his former Deputy Manish Sisodia facing defeat. However, Atishi managed to retain her Kalkaji seat, defeating BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri by a margin of 3,521 votes. While she bagged 52,154 votes, Bidhuri secured 48,633 votes in Kalkaji.

After the Delhi election results became clear, Atishi on Saturday accepted the mandate, but stressed that AAP's fight against the BJP would continue and that the defeat was just a "setback".

"First of all, I thank the people of Delhi and our party workers who stood strong. We accept the mandate. The war against BJP's dictatorship and hooliganism will continue. This is a setback but AAP's fight for the people of Delhi and the country will go on," Atishi said.

Expressing gratitude to her supporters, Atishi said, "I thank the people who trusted me. I also thank my team, which faced all challenges and took our message to the public. I have won my seat but this is not a time for celebration, this is the time to fight. The battle against BJP's authoritarianism will continue."