Delhi voted this week to elect its next government, and the results are out. The BJP has dethroned the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and is set to form a government after 27 years in the national capital. Their campaign was banked on allegations of corruption against former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. AAP - which used its "Delhi model" of health and education - lost some important seats including that of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's.
Over six hours into the counting of votes, the BJP was ahead on over 45 seats out of 70 seats and AAP was leading in over 20. The Congress appeared set for another blank show. Chief Minister Atishi managed to win from Kalkaji but with AAP heavyweights losing key seats, the loss has a damping effect on the party. Now AAP only holds Punjab and Delhi will now be surrounded with states that have BJP governments.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the BJP's victory. "My salute and congratulations to all my brothers and sisters for giving a historic victory to BJP... I am very grateful to all of you from the bottom of my heart..." Mr Modi said in Hindi, "We guarantee we will leave no stone unturned to ensure Delhi's all-round development and to make the lives of its people better... will also ensure Delhi plays an important role in building a developed India."
The results were more or less in line with the exit polls that projected the BJP as the winner, but not every time they get it right. Fresh data, from Today's Chanakya, Axis My India, CNX, released Thursday evening predicts a return to power in the national capital, for the first time since 1998.
The Axis My India poll expects Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party to win between 45 and 55 of Delhi's 70 seats, while CNX is even more gung-ho, giving the BJP between 49 and 61 seats. The former gives the ruling AAP 15 to 25 seats, the latter 10-19. And Today's Chanakya gives the BJP 51 seats to the AAP's 19.
The AAP, however, has firmly rejected the exit poll data, pointing out they had been similarly written off before each of their wins in 2015 and 2020. AAP leader Sushil Gupta told news agency ANI, "This is our fourth election... every time exit polls did not show AAP (winning, but) Arvind Kejriwal has worked for the people of Delhi. We will see the results in favour of AAP and we will form the government..."
While exit polls do not always get it right, in the last two elections in Delhi, they had correctly predicted a victory for AAP, though falling short of the massive mandate the party had received. They even got it right in Punjab, the second state AAP won.
Over the last two years, a majority of AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and his aide Manish Sisodia spent time in jail over multiple corruption allegations.
Not just the massive alleged liquor policy scam, the "Sheesh Mahal" allegations against Mr Kejriwal - the Rs 33.6 crore revamp that that turned the official residence of the Chief Minister into an opulent bungalow suitable for the uber-rich - appeared to have taken the sheen off AAP that thrived on its governance records for the better part of the last decade.
