The Impressive TimesNEW DELHI31 MARCH 2025 :Delhi is once again grappling with prolonged power cuts, drawing sharp criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which pointed out that the BJP is failing to govern effectively. Senior AAP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Delhi Assembly, Atishi, launched a blistering attack, stating that the BJP neither has the intention nor the capability to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply.
Atishi reminded citizens of the pre-2014 era, when long power outages were the norm, and warned that history is repeating itself under BJP’s rule. She revealed that instead of addressing the crisis, BJP ministers are more focused on finding ways to “make money.” In contrast, she highlighted that under the AAP government, Delhi had the best power system in the country, a fact even acknowledged by the BJP-led central government.
Delhi is facing unprecedented power cuts after 10 years of uninterrupted electricity, exposing the BJP government’s incompetence. In a press conference, senior AAP leader and Delhi Assembly LoP Atishi highlighted that under the AAP government, Delhi became the only state in India with 24-hour power supply. However, within a month of the BJP taking charge, prolonged power outages have returned, severely affecting residents across the city.
The former Power Minister recalled that before 2015, Delhi was infamous for frequent and long power cuts. She said, “Ten years ago, every household in Delhi had inverters because of long power cuts. Women had to manually fan their children to sleep in the summer heat. The last time Delhi saw such massive outages was in the summer of 2014, when electricity would disappear for 6 to 8 hours at a stretch.”
Atishi explained that the power supply situation in Delhi improved drastically after Arvind Kejriwal became Chief Minister in 2015. “After the AAP government was formed, Delhi became the only state in India where electricity was available 24 hours a day without power cuts. This is not just our claim but is also supported by data from the BJP-led central government.”
The former Delhi CM noted that on February 3, 2025, the Union Ministry of Power presented data in the Rajya Sabha proving that Delhi receives uninterrupted electricity round the clock. Reports from the Consumer Services Rating of DISCOMs for 2022, 2023, and 2024 confirm Delhi’s operational reliability and continuous power supply.
“According to the Ministry of Power, Delhi’s electricity distribution companies rank first, second, and third in the country for providing uninterrupted electricity. Even the BJP’s own central government acknowledges that Delhi had the best power supply in India,” she added.
Atishi stressed that Delhiites themselves have seen the change. “People don’t need government reports to tell them that Delhi had 24-hour electricity. In the last 10 years, inverters disappeared from homes. Old inverters became useless, and people neither had to buy new ones nor replace batteries every year. The need for inverters and generators had completely ended in Delhi. But ever since the BJP government came to power, power cuts have been increasing across the city. Today, social media is flooded with complaints,” she pointed out.
“Residents are reporting power cuts of 5 hours in Delhi University, 3 hours in Kirari, 6-8 hours in Rohini Sector 22, 8 hours in Tilak Nagar, 4 hours in Burari, 8 hours in Jagatpur village, 7 hours in Rajpur Khurd, and 2 hours in Karawal Nagar, ” she stated.
Atishi further pointed out that the Delhi government’s State Load Dispatch Center has reported long power cuts in various parts of the city since March 1. Some of the affected areas include:
* March 1: Samaypur Badli, Samalkha, Gautam Nagar, Pochanpur Dwarka, Hastsal, Lajpat Nagar-2, Rajouri Garden, Neb Sarai, Nangloi (over 1 hour of outage).
* March 2: Dwarka, Panchsheel Extension, Malviya Nagar, Nawada, Defence Colony, Uttam Nagar, M-Block Greater Kailash (1-hour outage).
* March 3: Uttam Nagar, Ghitorni, New Friends Colony East, Janakpuri, Qutub Vihar, Najafgarh, Nand Nagri, Meet Nagar, Mandoli (outage exceeding an hour).
* March 8: Punjabi Bagh (2 hours 44 minutes), Sunlight Colony (2 hours 30 minutes), Panchsheel Park (2 hours), Baprola (1 hour).
* March 9: Chanakya Place (2 hours), Nawada (1.5 hours), Hastsal (1.5 hours), Okhla Industrial Area (1 hour), Jhilmil Industrial Area (1 hour).
* March 10: L-Block Sangam Vihar (3 hours 10 minutes), Punjabi Bagh (3 hours 8 minutes), Govindpuri Transit Camp (2 hours), Pocket-1 Sector-14 Dwarka (1 hour 11 minutes), Bindapur Matiala (1 hour 30 minutes).
* March 11: Malviya Nagar (2 hours), Nawada (1 hour 15 minutes), Ranhola (1 hour 20 minutes).
* March 15: Bindapur (2 hours 22 minutes).
* March 24: Burari (4 hours), Jagatpur village (8+ hours), Chhatarpur Extension (daily 3-4 hours).
She noted that the pattern continued throughout March and the public outrage over power cuts is evident on social media. “For 10 years, Delhi had 24-hour electricity, and even the BJP-led central government’s data confirms that Delhi had the best power supply in the country. Yet, within a month of the BJP government taking over, the entire system has collapsed, and power cuts have returned to Delhi. This proves that BJP does not know how to run a government. They lack the capability to manage essential services like electricity, which is why a well-functioning 24-hour power supply system has failed under their rule.”
Highlighting the BJP’s misplaced priorities, Atishi criticized their governance model. “There are two ways to run a government—either by working for the people or by making money. If ministers spend their time finding ways to extract money from contracts, power companies, and infrastructure projects, then officials will also focus on maximizing financial gains instead of improving services.”
The Delhi Assembly LoP asserted, “In contrast, during the AAP government, our ministers would question officials about how to maintain uninterrupted power supply, why there was even a 10-minute outage in Bindapur or a 30-minute cut in Burari. That is why Delhi’s electricity supply was so well-managed under AAP. The quality of governance depends on the intent and ability of those in power. The AAP government was committed to providing 24-hour electricity, and that is why Delhiites enjoyed uninterrupted power for a decade.”
She emphasized that the BJP government neither has the intent nor the competence, which is why people are now suffering from power cuts. The failure of Delhi’s electricity system under BJP rule raises serious questions. “AAP has already proven that 24-hour electricity is possible, and Delhi had it for 10 years because AAP ministers focused on work. What changed in just one month? Why did a decade-long uninterrupted power supply collapse so quickly under BJP rule?”
Atishi concluded, stating, “As a former Power Minister, I know that scheduled maintenance power cuts always come with prior notifications to affected residents. However, sudden faults, transformer failures, and system breakdowns occur without warning. The fact that people are expressing their anger on social media proves that these are not scheduled maintenance outages—this is a governance failure.”
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