New Delhi: AAP leader Atishi has officially stepped down as the Chief Minister of Delhi following her party’s massive defeat in the 2025 Assembly elections. She submitted her resignation to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena at the Raj Niwas on Sunday. Atishi had taken over as CM in September 2024 after Arvind Kejriwal resigned from the post. With her exit, the Aam Aadmi Party’s leadership faces a major setback as the BJP marks its return to power in the national capital after 27 years.
Despite AAP’s poor performance, Atishi managed to retain her seat from Kalkaji, defeating BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri by a margin of 3,521 votes. However, her victory was overshadowed by the party’s overall downfall, with AAP’s seat tally crashing from 62 in the previous election to just 22 this time. Meanwhile, the BJP secured a historic mandate, sweeping through the Delhi Assembly and ending AAP’s decade-long dominance in the city’s politics.
Atishi had earlier conceded her party’s defeat but assured that she would continue her political battle against the BJP. As one of the few surviving AAP leaders in the new assembly, her role in the party’s future remains crucial. The results have now sparked speculation about the next leader of the opposition in Delhi and whether AAP can rebuild itself after this major political loss.
