BJP on victory run in Delhi, AAP stares at defeat in its bastion

New Delhi | The BJP was set to stage a thumping comeback in Delhi after more than 26 years on Saturday, sweeping away the Aam Aadmi Party from the national capital in another big win that extends its saffron footprint in the country.

As votes were counted for the 70-member Delhi assembly elections held earlier this week, trends and results on the Election Commission website showed the BJP ahead in 48 seats and the AAP in 22. AAP veteran and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia conceded defeat from Jangpura while party supremo Arvind Kejriwal stared at possible loss from New Delhi.

The Congress, which had ruled for 15 years under Sheila Dikshit, came up nought in the bipolar contest.

Ground level issues such as water, drainage and garbage went up against volatile campaigns by both parties with voters grimly evaluating their quality of life in a hopelessly polluted city. The BJP pushed ahead and made ‘sheesh mahal' an oft recalled buzzword for the lavish chief minister's residence following the renovations by Kejriwal and allegations of corruption in the excise policy. It clearly hit home.

And the AAP, which saw its leaders Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia jailed in the excise policy case, countered with vigour to say it was just not being allowed to govern as it wanted to because every move was being stymied by the lieutenant governor. That didn't find the resonance it had hoped for.

For the party's national convenor and two-time chief minister Kejriwal, the face of the party born of an anti-corruption movement in 2013, it was a tantalising seesaw between victory and defeat in his constituency. As the morning progressed, Kejriwal was trailing, then leading and then trailing again. After nine rounds, he was behind BJP's Parvesh Sahib Singh by 1,170 votes.

Congress' Sandeep Dikshit, son of three-time chief minister Sheila Dikshit, was a far third with only 2,812 votes.

As one more line was added to the Congress' epitaph, the AAP struggled with its own existential crisis. A loss in Delhi, which it has ruled for 10 successive years, could signal an end to its national ambitions with now only Punjab in its pocket.

Chief Minister Atishi, who took over after Kejriwal stepped down when he was jailed, was trailing in her constituency Kalkaji by 3,231 votes. Kejriwal's trusted deputy Manish Sisodia was leading in Jangpura constituency by 2,438 seats.

It was a dramatic downslide for the party, which won 67 of the 70 seats in 2015, 62 in 2020 and could now end up with less than half of that. The promise of mohalla clinics, model schools, free water and electricity seemed to have lost their sheen.

The party, which had established its dominance over Delhi's political map by wiping out both the BJP and Congress in 2015, stared at a possible defeat of its leader Kejriwal.

The Congress headquarters were desolate, workers at the AAP office wondered if the tide could turn and their leaders were huddled in conference. At the BJP office, the only sounds heard were the drumbeats of victory and euphoria with workers celebrating the fact that their party was continuing the winning streak of the Lok Sabha elections when it won all seven seats in the city. Their party appeared set for power, having succeeded in breaking the spell of AAP-Kejriwal spell in the city.

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "The trends show that the people have trusted the policies of the BJP under PM Modi. It shows that the people belonging to the weaker section of Delhi trust Modi's guarantees and the middle class is ready to stand with the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp'." It didn't matter who the chief minister would be.

The next Delhi chief minister will be from the BJP but the central leadership will decide on who it will be, the party's Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva said.

According to Sachdeva, BJP candidates had worked diligently and Delhi's voters had chosen development and a corruption-free governance model. "The people have picked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership because they wanted a model of development.” Asserting that the BJP would form a “double-engine government” in Delhi, he said, “We have no hesitation in saying that this win is a result of PM Modi's vision. We will ensure that Delhi gets a strong and stable government.” Taking a dig at Kejriwal and his party, he said the BJP fought the elections on real issues affecting Delhiites such as broken roads, liquor policy controversies, dirty water and corruption.

“Delhi's pain is real, and the people have voted to end it by choosing PM Modi's leadership,” he said.

Enthusiastic party workers cheered, waved flags, and chanted slogans, eagerly awaiting the final results at the party headquarters. Holding lotus cutouts, the party's election symbol, they smeared each other with saffron-coloured powder.

A man dressed as Aamir Khan's character from the movie “PK” said, “This time, AAP has lost on this planet. The broom (AAP symbol) is gone, and the lotus has bloomed.” Another BJP supporter, Samsung Ram, who travelled from Ujjain to show his support, said, “I came here for the Bharatiya Janata Party, and I stand here in the name of Narendra Modi.” For the party, the assembly win in Delhi comes after it bagged Haryana and Maharashtra (as part of the Mahayuti alliance). The reverses of the Lok Sabha election, when it won 240 seats, getting overshadowed with its assembly victories.

Delhi polls: Sisodia concedes defeat from Jangpura seat, says he hopes BJP will work for people. Delhi polls: Kejriwal trails by 1,170 votes from New Delhi seat

New Delhi | AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal was trailing by 1,170 votes from New Delhi constituency after briefly taking the lead over his BJP rival Parvesh Verma, according to the Election Commission website.

Kejriwal's vote tally stood at 18,097 and Verma had 19,267 votes at the end of the eighth round of counting.

The trends showed the BJP was leading in 45 of Delhi's 70 assembly seats.

While the AAP has dominated the political landscape in Delhi for the last 10 years, the BJP has been out of power in the city since 1998.

The Congress, which governed Delhi from 1998 to 2013 and was hoping for a resurgence, seemed headed for its third straight washout.

Delhi, with 1.55 crore eligible voters, recorded a turnout of 60.54 per cent in the February 5 elections.

BJP ahead in 45 seats, poised to form govt in Delhi after 26 years; AAP leads in 25

New Delhi | The BJP is poised to form a government in Delhi after more than 26 years, with the latest Election Commission trends showing the saffron party ahead in 45 of the 70 assembly seats while the AAP was leading in 25.

According to the Election Commission (EC) website, the BJP's vote share was 47.01 per cent till 11.55 am while AAP's stood at 43.16 per cent.

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal was trailing the BJP's Parvesh Verma by 430 votes in the high-profile New Delhi seat after eight rounds of counting.

Kejriwal's former deputy Manish Sisodia was leading by 3,869 votes in Jangpura after the fifth round.

In Kalkaji, Chief Minister and AAP candidate Atishi was trailing the BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri by 3,231 votes, the EC data showed.

"The people will give the BJP a decisive mandate. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, Delhi will progress alongside the rest of the country. I can confidently say that AAP will be eliminated from the national capital," Bidhuri said.

The BJP's Mohan Singh Bisht was leading by the highest margin of 40,598 votes in Mustafabad -- where the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) fielded northeast Delhi riots-accused Tahir Hussain.

In Okhla, AAP's Amantullah Khan was leading by 9,518 votes.

AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj was trailing by 2,039 votes in Greater Kailash while Gopal Rai, his colleague in the Delhi Cabinet, was leading by 25,105 votes in Babarpur.

The BJP's Kapil Mishra was leading in the Karawal Nagar seat by 23,352 votes while Tilak Ram Gupta was ahead in Tri Nagar with a margin of 8,557 votes.

In Ballimaran, AAP's Imran Hussain was leading by 19,326.

Saffron party candidates Sanjay Goel (Shahdara), Chandan Chaudhary (Sangam Vihar), Bajrang Shukla (Kirari) and Kartar Singh Tanwar (Chhatarpur) were also leading.

AAP's Durgesh Pathak (Rajinder Nagar), Anjana Parcha (Trilokpuri) and Veer Singh Dhingan (Seemapuri) were ahead of their rivals.

With the trends showing a significant lead for the BJP, its Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva said the national capital's next chief minister would be from the saffron party.

"The results so far are in line with our expectations but we will wait for the final outcome," he told reporters after offering prayers at the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place.

Meanwhile, BJP supporters erupted in celebration outside its Delhi headquarters, waving party flags and dancing to the beats of 'dhol'.

Holding up cutouts of a lotus, the BJP's election symbol, they also smeared each other with saffron-coloured powder.

Celebrations start at BJP headquarters as trends show decisive lead in Delhi

New Delhi | BJP supporters erupted in celebration outside its Delhi headquarters as the latest counting trends showed the saffron party returning to power in the national capital after more than 26 years with a decisive mandate.

Supporters danced to the beats of 'dhol' and waved party flags, creating a festive atmosphere.

Holding up cutouts of a lotus, the BJP's election symbol, they also smeared each other with saffron-coloured powder.

The BJP was leading in 41 of Delhi's 70 assembly seats while AAP was ahead in 29, according to the latest trends released by the Election Commission.

With the early trends showing a significant lead for the BJP, its Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva reaffirmed the party's confidence in forming a government in the national capital.

He said the next Delhi chief minister would be from the BJP and added that the central leadership would decide who it would be.

"The results so far are in line with our expectations but we will wait for the final outcome," he told reporters after offering prayers at the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place.

The BJP's Kalkaji candidate Ramesh Bidhuri, who was leading AAP's Atishi, echoed Sachdeva's optimism.

"The people will give the BJP a decisive mandate. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, Delhi will progress alongside the rest of the country. I can confidently say that AAP will be eliminated from the national capital," he said.

Delhi polls: EC trends show BJP ahead in 43 seats, AAP 27; Kejriwal leads by 343 votes

New Delhi | The BJP was leading in 43 of Delhi's 70 assembly seats while AAP was ahead in 27, according to the early trends released by the Election Commission.

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal was leading by 343 votes from the New Delhi seat after three rounds of counting. However, Kejriwal's former deputy Manish Sisodia was trailing by 1,314 votes in Jagpura.

In Kalkaji, Chief Minister Atishi was trailing the BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri by 1,149 votes after the first round of counting, the Election Commission (EC) data showed.

"The people will give the BJP a decisive mandate. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, Delhi will progress alongside the rest of the country. I can confidently say that AAP will be eliminated from the national capital," Bidhuri said.

The BJP's Mohan Singh Bisht was leading by 16,181 votes in Mustafabad -- where the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) fielded northeast Delhi riots-accused Tahir Hussain -- after three rounds.

In Okhla, AAP's Amantullah Khan was trailing the BJP's Manish Chaudhary by 2,260 votes.

AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj was trailing by 459 votes in Greater Kailash while Gopal Rai, his colleague in the Delhi Cabinet, was leading by 8,995 votes in Babarpur.

The BJP's Kapil Mishra was leading in the Karawal Nagar seat by 8,603 votes after three rounds of counting while Tilak Ram Gupta was ahead by 8,339 votes in Tri Nagar.

Saffron party candidates Sanjay Goel (Shahdara), Chandan Chaudhary (Sangam Vihar), Bajrang Shukla (Kirari) and Kartar Singh Tanwar (Chhatarpur) were also leading.

Durgesh Pathak (Rajinder Nagar), Anjana Parcha (Trilokpuri) and Veer Singh Dhingan (Seemapuri) were ahead of their rivals.

With early trends showing a significant lead for the BJP, its Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva said the national capital's next chief minister would be from the saffron party.

"The results so far are in line with our expectations but we will wait for the final outcome," he told reporters after offering prayers at the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place.

The BJP has been out of office in Delhi since 1998. On the other hand, AAP has dominated Delhi's political landscape for the past 10 years, winning the 2015 and the 2020 polls by whopping majorities.

The Congress, which governed Delhi from 1998 to 2013, is looking to stage a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two elections.

Delhi, with 1.55 crore eligible voters, recorded a turnout of 60.54 per cent in the February 5 election.

Delhi polls: Atishi trails in Kalkaji, rival Bidhuri says AAP will be 'eliminated'

New Delhi | Chief Minister Atishi was trailing BJP rival Ramesh Bidhuri by 1,149 votes from Kalkaji seat at the end of the first round of counting for the Delhi Assembly polls, the Election Commission website showed.

Bidhuri said the AAP would be "eliminated" from Delhi.

"The people will give the BJP a decisive mandate. Under PM Narendra Modi's leadership, Delhi will progress along with the rest of the country. I can confidently say that the AAP will be eliminated from the national capital," he said.

The voters in Kalkaji have prioritised development and will support the BJP, he said.

Asked if he would be the BJP's chief ministerial candidate, Bidhuri said, "It does not matter at all. I have been MLA three times and MP two times, positions do not matter to us." "I am here to serve the citizens. I belong to a party that works for the public," he added.

Early counting trends showed the BJP leading in 42 seats, while the AAP was ahead in 27. The Delhi Assembly has 70 seats.

However, television channels reported that the BJP was leading in 44 seats — well above the majority mark of 36 — while the AAP was ahead in 25 and the Congress in one.

Delhi will have BJP CM, central leadership will decide who it will be: Virendra Sachdeva

New Delhi | The next Delhi chief minister will be from the BJP but the central leadership will decide on who it will be, the party's Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva said on Saturday as votes were counted for the assembly elections held earlier this week.

The BJP was leading in 38 seats and the AAP in 27, according to early trends on the Election Commission website.

“The results so far are in line with our expectations but we will wait for the final outcome,” Sachdeva told reporters after offering prayers at the Hanuman Temple in Connaught Place.

According to Sachdeva, BJP candidates had worked diligently and Delhi's voters had chosen development and a corruption-free governance model. "The people have picked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership because they wanted a model of development.” Asserting that the BJP would form a “double-engine government” in Delhi, he said, “We have no hesitation in saying that this win is a result of PM Modi's vision.

We will ensure that Delhi gets a strong and stable government.” Taking a dig at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and his party, he said the BJP fought the elections on real issues affecting Delhiites such as broken roads, liquor policy controversies, dirty water and corruption.

Accusing Kejriwal of avoiding accountability, Sachdeva said, “Whenever we questioned him on these issues, he either stayed silent or ran away. He tried to win elections by making false promises.” In his view, the people of Delhi understood their struggles and voted for change. “Delhi's pain is real, and the people have voted to end it by choosing PM Modi's leadership,” he said.

Delhi polls: Kejriwal trailing from New Delhi seat

New Delhi | AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was trailing behind BJP's Parvesh Verma by 74 votes in New Delhi constituency after the first round of counting, according to the Election Commission.

While Verma got 2,272 votes, Kejriwal polled 2,198 votes at the end of the first of the 13 rounds of counting.

Initial counting trends showed the BJP was leading in 36 seats and the AAP in 16. The Delhi Assembly has 70 seats.

However, television channels showed the saffron party ahead in 44 seats, well above the majority mark of 36. The AAP was ahead in 25 seats and the Congress in one.

Counting underway for Delhi polls; candidates seek divine blessings, hope for victory

New Delhi | As counting of votes for the assembly polls began in Delhi on Saturday, candidates cutting across party lines visited shrines in the national capital to offer prayers and seek blessings.

Counting of votes for Delhi's 70 assembly constituencies began amid tight security at 19 locations across the national capital.

The BJP's New Delhi candidate Parvesh Verma visited a Hanuman temple to seek blessings.

"'Aaj sarkar banegi (Our government will be formed today)' ... Exit polls are indicating the same. I prayed to Hanuman ji for a good government in Delhi so that we can work in alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision," he told reporters.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP's Kalkaji candidate Atishi described the elections as "a battle between good and evil, work and hooliganism".

She expressed confidence that the people of Delhi would stand with AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal's governance model.

Badli candidate and the Congress' city unit chief Devender Yadav also exuded confidence despite unfavourable exit polls. "We worked hard and I believe the people of Delhi will give the Congress a chance." Alka Lamba, the Congress' Kalkaji candidate, visited a Kali temple and sought blessings.

"I had 'darshan' of Goddess Kali. My only aim is to serve the people. The party worked very hard and we contested the elections for the people and their issues. Whatever decision the people of Delhi take, we will accept it," she said.

The BJP's RK Puram candidate Anil Sharma visited Kalkaji Mandir prior to the start of the counting exercise.

Expressing confidence over his party's victory, he said, "I am 100 per cent certain that the 'lotus (the BJP's election symbol)' will bloom in Delhi, especially in RK Puram. I sought blessings for the same." Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit's daughter Latika Dikshit, whose brother Sandeep Dikshit contested the elections from the New Delhi seat on a Congress ticket, expressed hope for the party's victory.

Praising her brother, she said, "He ran a clean campaign, going door-to-door and engaging with the people. That is how elections should be contested." The Congress' Patparganj candidate Anil Chaudhary also expressed optimism.

"The election in Patparganj was based on love. People discussed development and I am proud that they remembered the work I did as the MLA between 2008 and 2013," he said.

The BJP's Patel Nagar candidate Raaj Kumar Anand visited the Jhandewalan Hanuman temple to offer prayers before counting began.

BJP leading in 30 seats, show early TV trends; AAP ahead in 22, Congress 1

New Delhi | The BJP was leading in 30 seats while AAP was ahead in 22 and the Congress one, as counting of votes continued for the assembly election in Delhi.

According to the latest trends being run by television channels, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, who is pitted against the BJP's Parvesh Verma in the New Delhi seat, was trailing.

In the Kalkaji seat, Chief Minister Atishi was trailing the BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri.

Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was also trailing in Jangpura.

The BJP's Karawal Nagar candidate Kapil Mishra was leading while AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj was ahead in the Greater Kailash seat.

The results will reveal if AAP's political dominance in Delhi remains intact or is dented enough by the BJP for the saffron party to return to power for the first time since 1998.

The Congress, which governed Delhi from 1998 to 2013, is looking to stage a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two elections.

Delhi, with 1.55 crore eligible voters, recorded a turnout of 60.54 per cent in the February 5 election.

Delhi polls: Initial EC trends show BJP ahead in 24 seats, AAP six

New Delhi | The BJP was leading in 24 assembly seats in Delhi while the AAP was ahead in six, according to initial counting trends on the Election Commission website.

However, television channels showed the saffron party ahead in 44 seats, well above the majority mark of 36. The AAP was ahead in 25 seats and the Congress in one.

The BJP's Kapil Mishra was leading in the Karawal Nagar seat by 3,109 votes while Tilak Ram Gupta was ahead by 3,373 votes in Tri Nagar.

Saffron party candidates Sanjay Goel (Shahdara), Chandan Chaudhary (Sangam Vihar), Bajrang Shukla (Kirari) and Kartar Singh Tanwar (Chhatarpur) were also leading.

AAP's Gopal Rai (Babarpur), Durgesh Pathak (Rajinder Nagar), Anjana Parcha (Trilokpuri) and Veer Singh Dhingan (Seemapuri) were ahead of their rivals.

According to the latest trends being run by television channels, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, pitted against the BJP's Parvesh Verma in the New Delhi seat, was trailing.

In the Kalkaji seat, Chief Minister Atishi was trailing the BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri.

Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was also trailing in Jangpura while AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj was ahead in the Greater Kailash seat.

The results will reveal if AAP's political dominance in Delhi remains intact or is dented enough by the BJP for the saffron party to return to power for the first time since 1998.

The Congress, which governed Delhi from 1998 to 2013, is looking to stage a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two elections.

Delhi, with 1.55 crore eligible voters, recorded a turnout of 60.54 per cent in the February 5 election.