The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appeared poised for a decisive victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, having crossed the majority threshold, according to early trends released by the Election Commission.
The saffron party is currently leading in 47 seats, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) holds the advantage in 23 constituencies. A majority of 36 seats is required to form the government in the 70-member Assembly.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has maintained a lead from the New Delhi constituency, where he is contesting against BJP's Parvesh Verma and Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit, with a margin of 254 votes.
However, several senior AAP leaders, including Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi, are trailing. Bharadwaj faces a deficit of 459 votes against BJP’s Shikha Roy in Greater Kailash, while Atishi trails BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri by 1,149 votes in Kalkaji.
In a surprising development, the BJP has also gained ground in Okhla, a traditional AAP stronghold, where Amanatullah Khan trails by 2,260 votes.
Also read: AAP will form government, exit polls will be proven wrong: Bhardwaj
Among other key constituencies, Gopal Rai of AAP leads by 5,602 votes in Babarpur, and Imran Hussain has an 1,824-vote advantage in Ballimaran. Conversely, former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain is trailing to BJP’s Karnail Singh in Shakur Basti by 2,956 votes.
In Bijwasan, former AAP leader Kailash Gahlot, who recently switched allegiance to the BJP, has secured a comfortable lead of 2,217 votes.
The polling for Delhi’s 70 assembly constituencies was held on 5 February, recording a turnout of 60.54 per cent.
Alongside Delhi, counting for by-elections in Uttar Pradesh’s Milkipur seat and Tamil Nadu’s Erode seat is also underway.
The AAP, seeking a third consecutive term in power, faces stiff competition from the BJP, which is attempting a comeback after more than two decades.
Although most exit polls indicated an edge for the BJP, AAP leaders remained optimistic, asserting that exit polls have historically underestimated their performance.
AAP’s campaign highlighted achievements in education during its eleven-year tenure, with Kejriwal warning voters that a BJP government would halt free education schemes.
On the other hand, the BJP’s campaign, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, targeted the AAP over the alleged toxicity in the Yamuna River and expenses related to the renovation of Kejriwal’s official residence.
Modi’s references to “Aapda” (disaster) and “Sheesh Mahal” (glass palace) were notable barbs against the AAP leadership.
Congress, which once ruled Delhi from 1998 to 2013, sought to regain lost ground. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies criticising Kejriwal and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia over the alleged excise policy "scam."
As the counting continues, all eyes remain on the key constituencies, particularly New Delhi, Kalkaji, and Greater Kailash, which could prove decisive in shaping the future political landscape of the national capital.
Also read: BJP gains early lead as counting begins for Delhi Assembly election
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