New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) exuded confidence over the results of the Delhi Assembly elections, with multiple Exit Polls projecting a landslide victory for the party, ending its 27-year-long wait for power in the national Capital.
Voting for the 70-member Assembly was held on February 5, and a compilation of Exit Polls has predicted that the BJP could secure between 42 to 49 seats, signalling a possible end to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) decade-long dominance in Delhi politics. The final results will be declared on February 8.
Reacting to the Exit Poll predictions, BJP leaders exuded confidence of forming the government and attributed the projected victory to widespread dissatisfaction with the AAP's governance.
The BJP's New Delhi MP, Bansuri Swaraj, speaking to IANS, said that the people of Delhi had voted against the AAP's "misgovernance" of the past decade and expressed their desire for a "double-engine" government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
"Delhiites want the BJP to form a double-engine government here and make Delhi a Viksit capital of a Viksit Bharat," Swaraj said.
"Kejriwal and his party were already aware of the public's anger and knew that the mandate was slipping away from them," she added.
The BJP's North West Delhi MP Yogender Chandolia said the public had placed its faith in PM Modi's leadership and economic promises, particularly the increased income tax exemption slab of Rs 12 lakh, which benefited the middle class.
"Kejriwal's credibility suffered a major blow when he accused the BJP of poisoning Yamuna's water, a claim that made people realise the extent of his deceit. This was the turning point, leading many to decisively reject the AAP in the polls," Chandolia told IANS.
BJP West Delhi MP, Kamaljeet Sehrawat asserted that the BJP's victory was inevitable, given the "governance failures" of the AAP.
Speaking to IANS, she said that on the ground, it was evident that people had already made up their minds to bring in a BJP-led government.
"The party's campaign focussed on infrastructure, water, sewage, pollution control, and education -- issues that should have been priorities for the government of a capital city but were neglected by the AAP," Sehrawat said.
She further predicted that the BJP's actual seat tally "will surely" exceed the Exit Poll projections.
The election experts indicated a sharp decline in support for the AAP, projecting only 20-28 seats for the ruling party. If the predictions hold true, it would mark a stunning reversal for Kejriwal, whose party has dominated Delhi's political landscape for the last decade, winning three consecutive elections since 2013.
A defeat in this election could raise questions about the AAP's future as a political force, given that it emerged from the anti-corruption movement of 2011 and positioned itself as a party of change.
The majority mark in the Assembly is 36 seats. In 2020, the AAP won a massive 62 seats with a 53.57 per cent vote share, while the BJP secured just eight seats with 38.51 per cent of the votes.
The Congress, which once ruled Delhi for 15 years, has remained a marginal player, receiving only 4.26 per cent of the votes in 2020. In 2015, AAP had an even more dominant performance, winning 67 out of 70 seats.
Political analysts believe that the BJP's aggressive campaign, led by PM Modi, managed to outpace the AAP's welfare-driven promises. Pollsters suggest that the BJP's strategy of offering economic relief -- most notably the significant increase in income tax exemption -- helped turn the tide in its favour.
The campaign, which was focussed on ending AAP's rule, appeared to resonate with voters who had grown disillusioned with Kejriwal's leadership.
Exit Polls presented varying projections, with some indicating a closer contest than others.
People's Pulse Exit Poll predicted a sweeping victory for the BJP with 51-60 seats, while Matrize forecasted a tighter race, giving BJP 35-40 seats and AAP 32-37 seats.
In contrast, Mind Brink predicted the AAP securing 44-49 seats, leaving the BJP with only 15-21 seats.
JVC Exit Poll projected 39-45 seats for the BJP, 22-31 for AAP, and 0-2 for Congress.
People's Insights gave the BJP 40-44 seats and AAP 25-29 seats. Chanakya Strategies estimated 39-44 seats for the BJP and 25-28 for the AAP, while the Congress was expected to win 2-3 seats.
For the Congress, the situation appears bleak for the third consecutive Assembly election, with no Exit Poll predicting more than three seats for the once-dominant party.
With just a day left before the official results are announced, Delhi stands on the cusp of a major political shift.
If the Exit Polls hold true, the BJP will finally break its losing streak in the capital and form a government after 27 years, while Kejriwal's political career will face its most critical challenge yet.