Upcoming elections in India: Key battles that will shape India's political landscape in 2025

(L-R) Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray (Courtesy: PTI)

After the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the recently-concluded Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections, all eyes are now on Delhi and Bihar going to polls in 2025. While Delhi will vote in February, Bihar elections are likely in October/November 2025.

Elections will also be held to fill eight seats in Rajya Sabha across two states - Assam and Tamil Nadu - as the terms of the current MPs will end in June/July 2025. Another battle which will be keenly followed are the polls to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), especially in the wake of Mahayuti's resounding victory in Maharashtra. The elections to the richest civic body in the country, BMC, will be held in early 2025.

Delhi elections 2025

Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly are due in February. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced that it will go solo this election, and not partner with Congress. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is seeking to retain power in Delhi for the third consecutive time. In the last assembly election in 2020, AAP won 63 of 70 seats and in 2015, the party emerged victorious in 67 seats.

Among the 70 assembly seats, New Delhi - represented by former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal - is one of the most high-profile ones. In 2020, Kejriwal defeated BJP's Sunil Yadav by a margin of over 21,000 votes. The AAP national convener is eyeing his fourth straight win from New Delhi assembly constituency. In 2013, Kejriwal defeated three-time CM of Delhi late Sheila Dikshit who represented the New Delhi constituency thrice - 1998, 2003 and 2008.

Sheila Dikshit's son and Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit will take on the AAP supremo from New Delhi assembly in the upcoming election. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the seat just once (1993, Kirti Azad).

AAP has once again named Delhi CM Atishi as its candidate from Kalkaji. Saurabh Bharadwaj, national chief spokesperson of the party, is eyeing his fourth straight win from Greater Kailash.

Kejriwal, who was arrested in March 2024 in connection with the ED's probe in excise policy case, walked out of jail in September in what was a huge win for the party ahead of the key Delhi elections. The term of the current assembly in Delhi expires on February 23, 2025.

In the run-up to the polls, Kejriwal has announced three major schemes to woo both women voters as well as senior citizens. The AAP supremo on December 12 notified the launch of Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, under which eligible women who are above 18 years will be offered monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000. In addition, he said that if AAP returns to power, the amount will be increased to Rs 2,100. Another key scheme announced by Kejriwal is the 'Sanjeevani' scheme which aims at providing free healthcare service to seniors citizens in Delhi.

However, a massive row erupted after two Delhi government departments distanced themselves from AAP's schemes. Both the Women and Child Development and Health departments cautioned the public against providing personal details to anyone on the pretext of registration for 'non-existent' schemes.

Bihar elections 2025

Assembly elections are also due in Bihar next year. The stakes are particularly high in Bihar this time since it will be the first high-profile showdown between NDA and INDIA bloc since the Maharashtra polls.

In the closely-contested 2020 elections, NDA emerged victorious with 125 seats, with BJP clinching 74 and JD(U) securing 43. The Opposition grand alliance won 110 seats with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) emerging as the single-largest party with 75 seats. However, much drama unfolded in Bihar over the last five years.

In 2022, Nitish severed ties with BJP and again joined hands with RJD and Congress to form the Mahagathbandhan government. However, just months before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Nitish returned to the NDA fold again after snapping ties with RJD and Congress.

Nitish's proclivity for switching alliances has earned himself the nickname of 'Palturam'. While he frequently flip-flops, the JD(U) supremo still remains pivotal to Bihar politics and has proved his worth in the Lok Sabha polls as well. His next move ahead of the 2025 assembly elections will be keenly followed.

The 2025 battle for Bihar will also be interesting with the entry of former political strategist Prashant Kishor. Founded in 2022, Kishor's party Jan Suraaj will contest in all 243 seats in the assembly polls slated to take place in October/November 2025.

Rajya Sabha polls: Assam

Elections will be held to fill two of seven seats in Assam in 2025 as the terms of the sitting members are scheduled to end. The tenures of BJP MP Mission Ranjan Das and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) MP Birendra Prasad Baishya will end on June 14, 2025. Assam has seven seats in the Rajya Sabha, with six being held by the BJP-led NDA.

Mission Ranjan Das was elected unopposed on August 26, 2024 as the seat fell vacant after Kamakhya Prasad Tasa was elected to the Kaziranga Lok Sabha constituency. A veteran BJP leader, Das is currently the chairman of Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC).

AGP's Birendra Prasad Baishya, who was re-elected to Rajya Sabha in June 2019, will retire on June 14, 2025. He was an MP from Rajya Sabha from 2008 to 2014. The AGP leader also served as Union Minister of Steel and Mines from June 1996 to March 1998. Asom Gana Parishad is a key ally in the BJP-led coalition government in Assam.

Rajya Sabha polls: Tamil Nadu

The terms of six of the total 18 MPs from Tamil Nadu will end on July 24, 2025. Elections will be held to fill the seats which will be vacated by MM Abdulla, M Shanmugam, P Wilson, N Chandrasegharan, Vaiko and Anbumani Ramadoss.

DMK MP Abdulla was elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha in September 2021 after the death of AIADMK's A Mohammedjan in March. With Abdulla's election, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin's demand that a Muslim be sent to the Parliament from DMK's quota was also fulfilled.

DMK leaders Shanmugam and Wilson, AIADMK's N Chandrasegharan, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party (MDMK) leader Vaiko and Pattali Makkal Katchi's (PMK) Ramadoss were all elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha on July 25, 2019.

BMC polls

After the Mahayuti's massive victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections held in November, the BJP is now eyeing the all-important Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls scheduled to be held in early 2025. The term of the previously elected representatives of the BMC ended in March 2022 and polls are due for almost three years now.

For the upcoming BMC polls, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) has already announced that it will contest as part of Mahayuti. The BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) are part of the Mahayuti alliance. The undivided Shiv Sena controlled the cash-rich BMC for 25 consecutive years from 1997 to 2022.

The high-profile polls hold great significance as BMC is the richest municipal corporation in the country. The election will also be crucial for former CM Uddhav Thackeray who is hoping to re-assert his dominance in Maharashtra and prove himself as the real heir to Bal Thackeray's legacy amid an intense tussle with Shinde's Sena.

After the 2017 BMC polls, the Shiv Sena leads the tally with 84, followed by BJP (82), Congress (31), NCP (9), MNS (7) and others (14).