Updated
New Delhi, Apr 26 (IANS): Riding on a Modi wave, the BJP was on Wednesday headed for a clean sweep of the Delhi civic polls and was set to retain the three municipal corporations for the third term in a row, as predicted in exit polls. The AAP has alleged widespread tampering of EVMs in favour of the BJP.
As counting progressed, the Bharatiya Janata Party was declared victorious in six wards and was leading in over 140 of the 270 that went to polls on April 23, Delhi State Election Commission officials said.
The AAP was at a distant second, leading in 40 and had won one ward. The Congress was ahead in 28 wards.
In the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, the BJP has won two wards -- Ramnagar and Krishnanagar. In the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, it won three wards -- Janakpuri West, Janakpuri South and Vishnu Garden. In North Delhi Municipal Corporation, the saffron party has won Rajinder Nagar.
The AAP pocketed Shakurpur in North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
The AAP's defeat comes more than two years after the Delhi Assembly elections when the fledgling political outfit humiliated the BJP winning 67 of the 70 Delhi assembly polls when it got a huge 54 per cent of the votes. The BJP won three seats that year but registered 33 per cent of the vote share.
The poll win is the latest in a series of BJP election victories credited largely to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, credited for the party's win, said the AAP's defeat reflected how the party had "failed the people of Delhi". He sought the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and promised that the new elected civic body would "clean the city in four months".
"We will make Delhi a clean city in the next four months. It will be a hygienic, dirt and disease free city," Tiwari said.
Apparently surprised over its defeat in the civic polls, the AAP alleged that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were rigged in favour of the BJP -- an accusation it has been levelling since its defeat in Punjab and Goa assembly polls.
"Without rigging, such a massive win is not possible," AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters.
He said it was "unbelievable" that the BJP could return to power in the civic bodies with such a massive win even as the MCD in the last 10 years had failed to maintain the upkeep of the city.
"They gave the city nothing but chikungunya and dengue," he said.
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken took moral responsibility for the party's poor show and announced he was resigning from his post.
"I will submit my resignation to the Congress President and Vice-President shortly," Maken told reporters.
The win in Delhi's civic polls has boosted the BJP's prospects for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections after the party scored major electoral victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The party also formed new governments in Goa and Manipur.
No celebrations, BJP to dedicate MCD win to slain CRPF jawans
New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI): Heading towards a clean sweep in all the three civic bodies, the BJP today dedicated its impending win to the slain CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district and decided to refrain from any celebrations. As per the trends, the BJP candidates were maintaining leads over their AAP and Congress rivals in most of the 270 wards for which voting was held on Sunday last.
Delh BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said that the every heart is filled with grief over the killing of 25 CRPF men in Sukma and the party will not celebrate the victory. "But for the Sukma incident, we would be on the streets celebrating this massive victory. We dedicate this win in the feet of Sukma martyrs," he said.
Tiwari also asserted that the results of MCD polls were a referendum on Kejriwal government. "We had been saying this earlier also that MCD polls will be a referendum on Kejriwal government. Arvind Kejriwal used to advocate Right to Recall and it seems now that Delhi people have used the right on him," he said.
Counting of votes began at 8 AM today with BJP gaining leads in all the three municipal corporations- NDMC, SDMC and EDMC. Voting for 270 of the total 272 municipal wards was held on April 23. Two wards where candidates died, voting was cancelled.