Delhi Elections 2025: Only 5 women candidates emerge victorious, Atishi sole AAP winner

Five women candidates, including Atishi, have emerged victorious in the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025, marking a decline from eight women winners in 2020. Out of 699 total candidates, only 96 were women, showing a slight increase in female participation compared to 76 women in 2020. However, the number of winning women candidates dropped from eight in 2020 to five this year.  

Atishi is AAP’s lone woman winner 

Atishi, the outgoing Delhi Chief Minister, retained her Kalkaji seat, defeating BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri by 3,521 votes.  
She remains the only woman from AAP to win in 2025. BJP’s four women candidates clinch victory that are Rekha Gupta (Shalimar Bagh), Poonam Sharma (Wazirpur), Neelam Pehelwan(Najafgarh), Shikha Roy (Greater Kailash)  

Parties increased women candidates but saw limited success  

BJP & AAP fielded 9 women each (higher than 2020), Congress fielded 7 women.  
Despite more female candidates, the overall win ratio remains low. The BJP stormed back to power in Delhi after 26 years, defeating Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP with a two-thirds majority, driven by a hyper-localized campaign PM Narendra Modi’s 'AAP-da'(disaster) blitzkrieg. Despite the growing role of women in politics, their representation in Delhi’s winning ranks remains a challenge.  

A declining trend in women’s electoral success

Over the last three elections, women’s winning numbers have stagnated, even as political parties claim to push for greater representation. In 2015, six women won, which increased to eight in 2020, but has now dropped to five. While more women are contesting elections, their success rate remains significantly lower than their male counterparts.

Lack of women Chief Ministerial faces

Another key reason behind the low female representation in Delhi’s assembly is the absence of strong women CM faces. While Atishi had a prominent role in AAP’s leadership, BJP and Congress did not project any woman leader for the top post. This lack of visible female leadership affects both voter perception and internal party strategies when distributing tickets.

Political dynamics and voter preferences

While Delhi’s electorate has shown support for women leaders in municipal and local body elections, the assembly elections continue to reflect a male dominated voter preference. Political analysts suggest that parties need to not just field more women candidates but also actively promote them in leadership roles to ensure a higher success rate.

A call for greater representation

Despite the setbacks, the increased participation of women candidates indicates a gradual shift in Delhi's political landscape. Women leaders across parties have been vocal about the need for more representation and are advocating for a larger share of tickets in future elections. If parties actively work towards nurturing and projecting strong female leaders, Delhi may see a higher number of successful women candidates in the next elections.