Congress candidate from New Delhi Assembly constituency, Sandeep Dikshit, said on Saturday that he has no information about any potential post-poll alliance between his party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He clarified that the decision would be made by the party’s high command.
Speaking to ANI, Dikshit stated, “I have no idea about any alliance. It is entirely up to the high command. Let the counting of votes happen.”
The vote counting for the Delhi Assembly elections commenced at 8 am on Saturday.
Exit polls released earlier this week suggested a slight edge for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over AAP. However, AAP leaders remained confident, arguing that exit polls have historically underestimated their party’s performance and expressing optimism about their return to power.
The BJP’s campaign, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focused on issues like the alleged pollution in the Yamuna River and the renovation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence. Modi also criticized Kejriwal using terms like “Aapda” and “Sheesh Mahal.”
On the other hand, AAP highlighted its achievements in education, claiming that the BJP would “stop free education” if it came to power. AAP also faced attacks from Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who accused Kejriwal and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia of involvement in the Delhi excise policy “scam.”
The election saw a voter turnout of 60.54%, with the polling for the 70-member Assembly held on February 5.
In the high-profile New Delhi constituency, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is contesting against Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit and BJP’s Parvesh Verma. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is facing BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress’s Alka Lamba.
While Congress has suffered setbacks in the last two elections, AAP has dominated the past two Delhi Assembly polls. The BJP is aiming to break this trend and regain power in Delhi after more than two decades.
