Prashant Bhushan holds Kejriwal responsible for AAP’s defeat

In the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP made a major comeback, winning 48 out of 70 seats. AAP, on the other hand, suffered a significant defeat, securing only 22 seats. Kejriwal and other senior AAP leaders lost their respective constituencies in the polls.

Kejriwal’s reaction to the Loss

Despite the loss, Kejriwal accepted the election results and congratulated the BJP. He expressed his hope that the new government would live up to the expectations of the people. 

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Bhushan’s criticism of Kejriwal’s leadership

Prashant Bhushan, a former AAP leader and lawyer has blamed Arvind Kejriwal for the party’s heavy loss in the recent Delhi Assembly elections. Bhushan, who was expelled from the party in 2015, believes the defeat marks the “beginning of the end” for AAP. 

Kejriwal is largely responsible for AAP’s Delhi debacle. A party formed for alternative politics which was supposed to be transparent, accountable & democratic was quickly transformed by Arvind into a supremo dominated, non transparent & corrupt party which didn’t pursue a Lokpal…

— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) February 8, 2025

Taking to his social media platform X, he raised the issue of Kejriwal’s extravagant lifestyle, particularly the controversy surrounding his newly renovated ₹45 crore official residence, known as the ‘sheeshmahal’. 

Bhushan criticised Kejriwal for living luxuriously while the party was meant to serve the common man, calling it a betrayal of AAP’s original promises.

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Governance over propaganda

Further attacking Kejriwal, Bhushan claimed that the Delhi CM had shifted his focus from actual governance to using propaganda for political gain.  Social activist Anna Hazare, who once worked alongside Kejriwal, also expressed disappointment over the way AAP had evolved. Hazare recalled how Kejriwal had once promised to live simply, only to later build a grand residence for himself. He emphasised that true happiness comes from serving society, not from luxury.

(with inputs from agencies)