Delhi Mayor Elections 2025: AAP to Skip Delhi Mayor Polls This Time, Here's Why

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced it will not contest the upcoming Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) mayoral election scheduled for April 25, 2025. Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Atishi criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) for allegedly attempting to destabilize the MCD by luring AAP councillors with offers of money and positions.

Atishi accused the BJP of employing 'Operation Lotus' tactics to form a government by poaching elected representatives from opposition parties.​

Atishi said that AAP does not support practices like ‘buying’ elected representatives and will not take part in the mayoral election.

She urged the BJP to take responsibility for managing the MCD, pointing out that they have control over the central government, Delhi government, and the MCD a ‘triple-engine government.’

Saurabh Bhardwaj, AAP's Delhi leader, agreed with the decision, saying the party doesn’t believe in ‘horse trading’ and prefers to act as a strong opposition. He added that the BJP got its majority in the MCD using such methods, and AAP doesn't want to be part of an undemocratic process.

BJP Responds

In response, BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor accused AAP of abandoning its responsibilities and attempting to avoid accountability. Kapoor alleged that AAP's decision to not contest the mayoral election was a tactic to avoid facing the consequences of its governance.​