Who will rule the national capital: BJP or AAP?

New Delhi: As voting progresses, the early trends in the Delhi assembly election show the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has crossed the halfway mark with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) closely behind. The Congress, after its brutal loss since the last few years at the national capital, is leading in one seat.

In the single-phase election held on February 5, a total voter turnout of 60.44 percent was recorded across 70 assembly constituencies.

Also Read | Delhi Election Results Live: Who Will Rule National Capital For The Next Five Years?

Based on the Election Commission, the BJP is leading in 42 constituencies while the AAP is leading in 28 seats.

In a setback to the AAP, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is trailing while rival BJP candidate Parvesh Verma leads with a slender margin of 225 votes. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is also trailing behind with a margin of 2,800 votes while BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri leads with 21,519 votes. Manish Sisodia is leading, however, in Jangpura with 11,261 votes and a vote margin of 2,686.

The last time Congress opened its account in Delhi was in the 2013 assembly elections when it won eight seats. The party had secured a vote share of 24.55 per cent, while the BJP got a 33.07 per cent vote share and the AAP 29.49 per cent. is currently trailing from Kalkaji in early trends, but the competition is tight.

Exit polls suggest the BJP has an edge over the AAP, the party that has been ruling Delhi since 2015. The party however, rejected the exit poll predictions and put its faith in forming the government for the third time. This would also mean Arvind Kejriwal becoming the chief minister for the fourth time.

What is certain though is, based on the exit polls, that the massive sweep that the AAP achieved in the last two elections will not happen this time as the competition is high between AAP and the saffron party.

The last time Congress opened its account in Delhi was in the 2013 assembly elections when it won eight seats. The party secured a vote share of 24.55 per cent, while the BJP got a 33.07 per cent vote share and the AAP 29.49 per cent.

In the 2020 Assembly polls, AAP secured a massive victory, winning 62 out of 70 seats, while BJP won 8 seats. The Congress failed to secure any seats in the election. This time, a triangular contest between the AAP, the BJP, and the Congress, the ruling party aims for a third consecutive term, while the saffron party hopes to make a return to power after 25 years, and the grand old party strives to make a comeback.