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Most exit polls have predicted a big victory for the BJP, with only a few giving AAP an edge. Almost all pollsters predict that the Congress may draw a blank for a third straight term
While AAP is eyeing another term, banking on its governance record and welfare schemes, the BJP and Congress are looking for a resurgence. (File image: PTI)
The counting of votes for the Delhi assembly polls will take place on Saturday to decide whether the Aam Aadmi Party comes to power a fourth time or the Bharatiya Janata Party forms a government in the national capital after 27 years, even as the Congress hopes to win back its relevance.
The high-stakes polls featured an intense campaign, with the AAP, BJP, and Congress each offering a range of election promises—particularly targeting women and youth—in an effort to outdo one another.
The polling took place in a single phase on February 5, with over 15 million eligible voters casting their ballots to decide the fate of various candidates. The Election Commission reported a voter turnout of 60.54% on Wednesday.
A total of 699 candidates contested across 70 assembly constituencies, including 603 male and 96 female contenders.
Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer Alice Vaz said that around 5,000 trained personnel will oversee the counting process that will begin on Saturday morning. In each assembly constituency, five randomly selected Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) will be checked to ensure transparency.
Exit polls
Most exit polls have predicted a big victory for the BJP.
The Axis My India poll expects the saffron party to win between 45 and 55 seats, with AAP predicted to win 15 to 25 seats.
CNX expects a bigger haul for the BJP, between 49 and 61 seats, while AAP may be limited to 10-19 seats.
Matrize has predicted 32 to 37 seats for AAP and 35 to 40 for the BJP.
Today’s Chanakya gives the BJP 51 seats and AAP 19.
People’s Pulse has predicted a landslide for the BJP, with 51 to 60 seats, while giving AAP 10 to 18. People’s Insight is a little more conservative, giving the BJP 40-44 seats while putting AAP at 25 to 28.
Poll Diary has predicted 42 to 50 seats for the BJP and 18 to 25 for AAP.
JVC gives the BJP 39 to 45 seats and AAP 22 to 31.
P-Marq, though, is giving AAP 39 to 44 seats against 21 to 31 for the BJP.
Most pollsters predict that the Congress will draw a blank for a third straight term.
Seats to watch
Among constituencies witnessing the most intriguing contests is the New Delhi seat, which AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal is hoping to win a fourth consecutive time. He faces BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit.
Kalkaji too is witnessing a three-way battle between AAP, Congress, and BJP. AAP has fielded Delhi chief minister Atishi, who is up against Congress’s Alka Lamba and BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri.
The Patparganj seat was represented by AAP’s Manish Sisodia for three consecutive terms. But the party this time has nominated popular educator Awadh Ojha, who will face BJP’s Ravinder Singh Negi and Congress’s Anil Chaudhary.
Sisodia is fighting for the Jangpura seat that was won by AAP’s Praveen Kumar in 2015 and 2020. BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah and Congress’s Farhad Suri have made the contest interesting.
AAP’s Somnath Bharti has won the Malviya Nagar seat three consecutive times and is hoping for a repeat to keep BJP’s Satish Upadhyay and Congress’s Jitendra Kumar Kochar at bay.
Rohini is set for a fierce contest between AAP and BJP. BJP’s two-time winner Vijender Gupta (2015, 2020) is seeking a third term against AAP’s Pradeep Mittal.
AAP’s Amanatullah Khan is contesting from Okhla for a third time. Congress has fielded Ariba Khan against him. In both 2015 and 2020, Amanatullah won by margins exceeding 60,000 votes against BJP’s Braham Singh.
A traditional stronghold for Muslim candidates, Ballimaran is a key seat in the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency. AAP has once again nominated Imran Hussain, while Congress has fielded veteran leader Haroon Yusuf. BJP has replaced its 2020 candidate with Kamal Bagri, who won a Delhi Municipal Corporation seat in 2022.
In Shakur Basti, BJP has fielded Karnail Singh, chief of its Delhi Mandir Prakoshth (temple cell) against senior AAP leader Satyendar Jain.
Past matters
AAP first dominated Delhi’s politics in 2015, winning 67 out of 70 seats and pushing the BJP and Congress to the sidelines. In 2020, the party retained power by winning 62 seats.
A victory for AAP would further cement Kejriwal’s influence in Delhi and boost his national political standing. However, if the BJP wins, it would mark its return to power in Delhi after nearly three decades and break AAP’s stronghold.
The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years until 2013, is still struggling to make a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the past two elections.
(With agency inputs)
