Power play: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Delhi Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena during the foundation stone laying and inauguration ceremony of various development projects, in New Delhi. File
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
In the first week of January, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign for the Delhi Assembly election started with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the attack from the front on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
It was on Mr. Modi’s face and “Modi’s guarantee” that the BJP fought the rest of the election, without a chief ministerial face. But there was another man, though never part of the election campaigning, who had been keeping the AAP and its chief Arvind Kejriwal on edge — central government-appointed Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena.
On January 3, Mr. Modi coined the term “AAP-da”(disaster), which is also a wordplay on the ruling AAP. He said that “AAP-da” had befallen Delhi in the past 10 years and promised people to get rid of the disaster that has stalled the national capital’s development.
The main focus of his speeches was establishing two things: first, there has been no development and no welfare of people in Delhi under the AAP, and secondly the AAP has become corrupt.
But it seems that the ground work for the political message was laid by the BJP over three years in two ways: first, Mr. Saxena was appointed as the new L-G of the national capital in May 2022, and secondly, a change in law in May 2023.
Major moves
Though the AAP had run-ins with the previous L-G’s too, the friction between the AAP and the L-G’s office worsened to unprecedented levels under Mr. Saxena’s tenure, who unlike his two predecessors was not a retired IAS officer and was seen by many as being close to the BJP at the Centre.
Within two months of his appointment, Mr. Saxena in July 2022 recommended a CBI probe into the Delhi excise policy, which led to the arrest of top AAP leaders, including party chief Arvind Kejriwal and his trusted deputy Manish Sisodia.
Both of them, who are out on bail, lost the 2025 Delhi election, delivering a big blow to the AAP.
The Prime Minister and the BJP have throughout the campaign used the excise policy case to paint the AAP and Mr. Kejriwal as corrupt.
The second factor of the change in law happened in May 2023.
Delhi is essentially a Union Territory with an Assembly, and land, police, and law and order were under the control of the L-G. This led to the run-ins between the AAP and the L-G since it came to power in Delhi in 2013.
Also, who controls top bureaucrats was a major bone of contention.
On May 11, 2023, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in a landmark judgment gave the elected government of Delhi the power to make laws and wield control over the bureaucrats in the Delhi government, except for matters related to public order, police, and land.
But on May 19, the Centre issued an ordinance effectively negating the May 11 top court judgment and gave the L-G the final say on any transfer, posting, disciplinary proceedings, vigilance issues concerning top bureaucrats.
Also read: An overview of governance in Delhi | Explained
In short, the top officials of the Delhi government came under the direct control of the Centre’s L-G.
This has made drastic change in how the Delhi government functions, and now files in some cases are sent by officials directly to the L-G, bypassing the Minister in-charge of the subject.
Over multiple issues, AAP leaders kept raising the issue that the officials were not listening to them and were undermining and stalling different projects and schemes on the directions of the BJP at the Centre through the L-G. The BJP dismissed it and termed it AAP’s politics.
Many works got stuck in this fracas and Mr. Kejriwal continuing to be the Chief Minister while he was in jail further worsened the problem.
In the run up to the election, the BJP hit the AAP hard on the bad condition of roads, sewage, and drinking water. People in different parts of the city also complained about these three issues during The Hindu’s ground reports.
The AAP, which also got similar feedback from the ground, formed a team to fix water and sewage issues but the success was only limited, as per party leaders.
‘Historic win’
Around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday (February 8, 2025), as BJP’s win was almost certain, Mr. Modi said in his first reaction over a post on X, “We guarantee that we will leave no stone unturned to ensure the all-round development of Delhi and to make the lives of its people better.”
“It is a historic win and not a usual victory as the people of Delhi have shown the door to ‘AAP-da’. Delhi has become Aapda-mukt,” he said later at the party headquarters.
Though the term ‘AAP-da’ was used only for a little over a month by the BJP in the run up to the election, it’s intended meaning was in the making for about three years.
Published – February 09, 2025 11:06 pm IST