In the last two months, the BJP has made up for its setback in the Lok Sabha elections by winning two major states, Haryana and Maharashtra. Following these victories, the BJP is now focused on capturing Delhi, which has been under the control of Arvind Kejriwal for the past ten years. After failing to win Delhi in the assembly elections of 2013, 2015, and 2020, the BJP has devised a new strategy to challenge Kejriwal. Party leaders have indicated that they aim to avoid the mistakes made in previous elections.
The BJP is likely to contest the upcoming Delhi assembly elections without declaring a Chief Ministerial candidate. A senior BJP functionary in Delhi mentioned that the party's senior leadership is confident in continuing the successful campaign strategy led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has yielded positive results in various state elections. In the assembly elections held in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh last year, the BJP did not announce a chief ministerial face and won in five of those states.
Sources within the BJP suggest that the leadership has several reasons for this approach. It aligns with their strategy implemented in other states and helps prevent potential divisions within the party. Additionally, this tactic allows the election campaign to focus on policy issues rather than being personality-centric. With the Aam Aadmi Party facing anti-incumbency after ten years in power, the BJP plans to emphasize issues such as the condition of roads and expenditures on the Chief Minister's residence, steering clear of a direct face-to-face contest.
In previous elections, the BJP had attempted to present a Chief Ministerial candidate. In 2015, they announced former IPS officer Kiran Bedi as their candidate, but this strategy backfired, resulting in the party winning only three out of 70 seats. In 2013, the BJP put forward Harsh Vardhan as their candidate, becoming the largest party with 32 seats but failing to secure a majority. The Aam Aadmi Party surprised many by winning 28 seats and forming a government with Congress's support. In 2020, the BJP again contested without a declared candidate but managed to win only eight seats.