The counting of votes for the highly anticipated Delhi Assembly elections will begin soon. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is striving for a third consecutive term, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is determined to make a comeback after more than 20 years in power in the National Capital.
Most exit polls released on Wednesday suggest that the BJP has an edge over the AAP, but AAP leaders remain confident, noting that exit polls have historically underestimated their performance. The party expressed optimism about returning to power.
According to the P-MARQ exit poll, the BJP is projected to win between 39-49 seats, AAP is expected to secure 21-31 seats, and Congress is predicted to win 0-1 seat. Matrize’s poll forecasts a tight race with the BJP winning 35-40 seats and AAP capturing 32-37 seats, with Congress winning one seat. The Peoples Pulse exit poll predicted 51-60 seats for the BJP and 10-19 for AAP, while giving zero seats to Congress. People’s Insight’s exit poll estimates 40-44 seats for the BJP and 25-29 seats for AAP, with Congress getting 0-1 seat. In contrast, WeePreside’s exit poll suggested that AAP could win 46-52 seats, the BJP 18-23, and Congress 0-1.
The BJP’s campaign, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focused on criticizing AAP over issues such as the pollution in the Yamuna River and the renovation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence. Modi used terms like “Aapda” (disaster) and “Sheesh Mahal” (glass palace) to target Kejriwal.
On the other hand, AAP emphasized its achievements in the education sector over the past eleven years, with Kejriwal claiming that the BJP would end free education if it regained power. Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held rallies where he criticized Kejriwal and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia over their alleged involvement in the Delhi excise policy “scam.”
With the vote counting set to begin, tight security measures have been implemented. The polling for the 70-member Delhi Assembly was held on February 5, with a voter turnout of 60.54%. DCP West Delhi, Vichitra Veer, outlined the security measures in place, saying, “We have deployed three-layered security outside the strong rooms and identified sensitive spots. We will conduct flag marches to ensure peace and maintain order around the counting centers.”
Notable constituencies include New Delhi, where AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is contesting against Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit and BJP’s Parvesh Verma. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is also in a close contest, facing BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress’s Alka Lamba. The election campaign has seen sharp exchanges between leaders from the three parties.
Once a dominant force in Delhi, Congress has struggled in recent years, failing to secure any seats in the last two assembly elections after ruling for 15 consecutive years. AAP has won the last two elections in a landslide, but the BJP is hoping to break this trend and return to power in Delhi after over two decades.
