Delhi Assembly polls: Counting of votes underway, BJP-AAP locked in a close fight

As per early trends, AAP is leading in 21 seats while the BJP is marching ahead in 24.

Also Read:Election Commission refused to upload voters' data, alleges Arvind Kejriwal a day before Delhi Assembly polls vote count

The Congress is currently leading in 1.

The counting of votes for the election which took place on February 5 began at 8 am.

The political fates of 699 candidates, including Chief Minister Aatishi, her predecessor and Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, BJP leaders Parvesh Verma and Ramesh Bidhuri and prominent Congress names like Sandeep Dikshit and Alka Lamba, will be known today with AAP eyeing to return to power for the third straight term.

Exit polls predict BJP returning to power after 27 years

After being reduced to single digits in the last two Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP is poised to make a comeback in the national capital after 27 years, according to most exit polls released on Wednesday.

The projection indicates a significant setback for Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, aiming for a third consecutive term following its near-total victories in 2015 and 2020.

A party must win at least 36 seats to secure a majority in the 70-seat Delhi Assembly.

The BJP last held power in December 1998 before the Congress won the elections, leading to Sheila Dikshit's tenure as Delhi chief minister for three consecutive terms.

The Congress, which has struggled in Delhi since the Sheila Dikshit era, is expected to win no more than 1–2 seats, as per the best estimates by pollsters.

However, past elections have demonstrated that exit polls can be unreliable, and the projections should be taken with caution.

An average of four exit polls indicates that the BJP could secure 42 seats, comfortably crossing the halfway mark, while AAP may drop to just 25 seats.

PMarq has forecasted 39–49 seats for the BJP and 21–31 for AAP.

Times Now JVC predicts 39–45 seats for the BJP and 22–31 for AAP.

People's Pulse has given the BJP the highest estimate of 51–60 seats, while forecasting 10–19 for AAP.      

Matrize is the only pollster predicting a close contest, estimating 35–40 seats for the BJP and 32–37 for AAP.