Delhi polls: Counting begins, BJP leads in very early trends
New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): Counting for Delhi Assembly elections commenced at 8 am on Saturday, with the top contenders Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hoping to form government in the national Capital. Voting for all 70 seats of the Delhi Assembly took place on Wednesday, February 5, and several candidates in the fray visited nearby temples to offer their prayers.
As per the early trends, Kejriwal is trailing from this seat, whereas BJP's Parvesh Verma is leading from the New Delhi Assembly constituency. The BJP is also shown leading in several seats, however, these are very early trends and we have to wait at least till noon to get a clear picture. Exit polls have projected a comeback for the BJP in Delhi after 27 years, with the party predicted to hit the majority mark of 36 comfortably and bag 10-15 more seats than that, ousting the incumbent Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. The Congress, however, is projected to bag 0-3 seats at maximum. The election results can be tracked on the Election Commission of India (ECI's) official website. Voting for the Delhi Assembly poll 2025 took place in a single phase on February 5.
According to the Election Commission data, the approximate voter turnout after the Delhi Assembly election stood at 60.54 per cent, with the North East district recording the highest voting percentage -- 66.25 per cent. The lowest polling was recorded in the South East Delhi district at 56.40 per cent. The incumbent AAP, BJP, and Congress are the main contenders of the Delhi poll 2025, with AAP eyeing a third straight full term in Delhi. AAP, which has dominated the last two Assembly polls in Delhi, won 62 out of 70 seats in the 2020 election, while the BJP won eight. Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years, failed to open its account in the last two Assembly polls and is predicted to perform similarly this time as well.
Exit poll results for the Delhi election were released on Wednesday evening after the voting for the Assembly poll concluded. Most exit polls projected a comfortable win for the BJP in the Delhi Assembly election, while the incumbent AAP is predicted to be failing to hit a hattrick. Exit polls projected another rout for Congress. The counting process will start with postal ballots, which include votes from government officials on election duty, service voters, and elderly or differently-abled voters who chose postal voting. After the postal ballots are counted, the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be unlocked, and the votes will be counted in multiple rounds.
This process is expected to continue throughout the day, with results from different constituencies being released at intervals. The Election Commission will update vote trends regularly, offering a clearer picture of each party's performance. By around Saturday noon, major voting trends are likely to emerge, giving an early indication of the likely winner.
