Who is Avadh Ojha, AAP’s educator and YouTuber candidate, who lost in Patparganj?

Avadh Ojha, a well-known UPSC educator and one of AAP’s most high-profile candidates for the
2025 Delhi Assembly elections, has conceded defeat in the race for the Patparganj seat.

“It’s my personal defeat. I couldn’t connect to people… I’ll meet the people and will contest the next election from here,” he told ANI.

At the time of writing, he trailed BJP’s Ravinder Negi by over 23,000 votes, while Congress’ Anil Chaudhary remained far behind in third place (13,471 votes). As of 1:04 pm, Negi had 63,509 votes, while Ojha had 40,229 —a significant gap for the AAP candidate to overcome.

Ojha, famous for his unique teaching style among UPSC aspirants, joined AAP just a couple of months ago, stepping in for Manish Sisodia, who had held the Patparganj seat since 2013. Given the constituency’s reputation as an education hub, many believed Ojha would be a strong contender.

But despite his solid reputation in education, Ojha failed to make his mark in the east Delhi constituency. But who is Avadh Ojha? And what made him swap the classroom for the campaign trail? Here’s a closer look at his journey.

Avadh Pratap Ojha, better known as Ojha ‘Sir’, is a well-known figure in the UPSC coaching world, revered for his ability to simplify complex subjects for civil service students.

Once a civil service aspirant himself, Ojha has spent nearly two decades teaching, specialising in History, Geography, and Current Affairs. His unique teaching style has made him immensely popular among students, many of whom credit him for making their preparation more engaging and effective through spiritual stories and real-life examples.

However, Ojha’s influence isn’t limited to physical classrooms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when offline classes were suspended, he turned to YouTube, where his channel Ray Avadh Ojha quickly gained traction. Today, it boasts over 9 lakh subscribers and 800 educational and motivational videos. His presence extends to Instagram as well, where he has over 2 million followers.

Ojha also runs low-cost online courses through his mobile application, providing study materials, live classes and expert guidance to students from all backgrounds.

Originally from Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, Ojha’s journey wasn’t easy. His father, Shrimata Prasad Ojha, a postmaster, made several financial sacrifices to support his education, according to The Times of India.

Academically accomplished, Ojha holds multiple degrees, including a BA in History, MA in Hindi Literature, LLB, MPhil, and a PhD in Hindi Literature. His own UPSC journey ended in 2005 when he failed to clear the mains, prompting him to shift his focus to teaching instead.

Over the years, he has taught at top IAS coaching institutes, including The ABC Academy of Civil Services, Chanakya IAS Academy, Unacademy, and Barthakur IAS Academy in New Delhi.

In 2019, he launched his own coaching institute, IQRA IAS Academy, in Pune, offering affordable courses ranging from Rs 3,600 to Rs 23,000, to make quality education accessible to more students, reports TOI.

Despite being a popular figure, Ojha has faced a fair share of controversies.

In August 2024, when three UPSC aspirants lost their lives due to flooding in an IAS coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar, many students looked to Ojha—one of the most well-known educators in the field—for a statement. However, he remained silent, drawing disappointment from sections of the student community.

Ojha also made headlines last year for a viral video in which he suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should dissolve the Constitution and establish a “Modi dynasty.”

He compared Modi to historical figures like Muhammad Ghori, who also had no legal heir, and even went as far as proposing that a chapter on the “Modi dynasty” be included in school curriculums, especially after the removal of Mughal history from textbooks.

Ojha decided to debut into politics this year. After joining the Aam Aadmi Party in December, he said the primary reason for him to join the Kejriwal-led party was to work for the development of the education sector in Delhi.

“Education is the soul of every family, society and nation. My main aim of entering into politics is the development of education,” the teacher during his induction.

However, Ojha conceded his defeat from the seat on Saturday saying, “It’s my personal defeat. I couldn’t connect to people… I’ll meet the people and will contest the next election from here,” said Avadh Ojha, conceeding defeat.

Ahead of elections, AAP sources told The Indian Express that Ojha’s entry into the party was not just a “symbolic event” but a calculated move, to “appeal” to Delhi’s youth and Purvanchali voters.

AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who won in the 2013, 2015, and 2020 polls from the seat, was shifted to Jungpura to accommodate the new recruit.

At the AAP event for his induction, the party’s national convener and ex-chief minister Arvind Kejriwal lauded Ojha, saying, “Our aim has always been to bring talented individuals excelling in various fields aligned with our ideology—be it anti-corruption, education or healthcare—into politics. With Ojha’s entry, education, which has always been our cornerstone, will gain even more strength.”

Earlier in an interview with The Lallantop, Ojha expressed his ambition to launch his own political party by 2028.

However, despite his popularity in education, Ojha’s political campaign failed to gain momentum.