New Delhi: Early trends put the BJP comfortably placed to dislodge the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP from power in Delhi. With counting of votes still underway, Election Commission of India (ECI) trends show the BJP past the majority mark of 36. The Congress, meanwhile, has not managed to secure a lead on any seat.
Asked who will be the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate if the party returns to power in Delhi after a gap of 27 years, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said there is no doubt that the next CM will be from the BJP, but added that the choice will be that of the party’s central leadership.
Stay tuned to ThePrint for the latest on the Delhi Assembly Election Results 2025.
Also Read: Brand Kejriwal is under strain in Delhi, but it’s still thriving. What the loyal voter says
Delhi Election Results | Highlights
10pm: Here’s how the electoral map of Delhi looked in 2020 when the AAP won 62 of 70 assembly seats, and here’s how it looks after the BJP wrested Delhi from the AAP.
8pm: The final tally is in. ECI data shows the BJP has increased its tally in the Delhi Assembly elections to 48 seats from a mere 8 seats in 2020. The AAP, on the other hand, saw its tally drop from 62 seats in 2020 to 22 seats this time around. The Congress, meanwhile, failed to get even one candidate elected for the third time in a row.
7.30 pm: “(Congress’s) language is that of urban naxals, anarchy. The oldest party in the country is not able to get even one seat in the national capital for the last 6 times. They are giving the gold medal of defeat to themselves,” he said.
7.25 pm: Modi also accused AAP of misplaced priorities during the pandemic, stating, “While people suffered during COVID, AAP-da was busy building Sheesh Mahal.”
He then assured transparency and accountability, declaring, “I guarantee that the CAG report will be tabled in the assembly. Every scam will be exposed, and loot will have to be returned.”
“Congress is finishing its allies one by one. Today’s Congress is busy snatching away the agendas of its allies and to take away their vote banks,” he said.
7.20 pm: Modi emphasised Delhi’s significance, stating, “Delhi is the gateway to India, and that is why it deserves the best infrastructure.”
He criticised AAP for its claims about Yamuna pollution, saying, “AAP-da accused Haryana of poisoning the Yamuna. AAP has insulted Yamuna. I have vowed to make the Yamuna the identity of Delhi.”
Acknowledging the challenge of restoring the river, he said, “Cleaning up the Yamuna will be difficult and will take time, but with the blessings of Ma Yamuna, we will work hard.”
Taking a swipe at AAP’s governance, he added, “AAP-da promised to change politics, but it turned out to be nothing more than dishonesty. For a party that was born out of a movement against corruption, they (AAP) indulged in corruption.”
Moreover, he added, “The people have once again sent the Congress a stern message.”
7.15 pm: Modi stated that residents of slum clusters have endorsed the BJP’s work, attributing it to the party’s long-standing commitment to prioritising the middle class.
He also highlighted that for the first time since independence, every state in the NCR region will be governed by the BJP.
6.45 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “There is a sense of enthusiasm and relief among the people of Delhi—they are finally free from ‘AAP-da.”
He expressed gratitude, saying, “I sent a letter to the people of Delhi, and you ensured it reached every household. I prayed that you would give the BJP an opportunity to serve Delhi, and today, I thank you for placing your trust in us.”*
Modi assured Delhiites of his commitment, stating, “The city has shown us love with an open heart, and I will return this love through rapid development. Your faith in us is a debt we will repay with progress. This is a historic win.”
“I want to congratulate every single BJP worker for this win,” he added.
The mandate, he said, shows that the real owners of Delhi are the people of Delhi. Those who prided themselves on being the owners of Delhi have been defeated. It is also clear from this mandate that in politics there is no space for a shortcut, lies or deceit.
“Voters have short-circuited the politics of shortcut,” he said.
He said, “For the first time, Delhi’s youngsters—those born in the 21st century—will witness BJP’s good governance in the city.”
Modi highlighted the city’s inclusive mandate, stating, “Delhi is a symbol of unity in diversity, and this diverse Delhi has given the BJP a full majority.”
He added, “The lotus has bloomed in every region and across every section of society in Delhi.”
“Dharna politics has damaged the interests of the people of Delhi,” said Modi, adding that “governance is not a platform for theatrics”.
“The whole country knows that wherever the NDA is in power, there is good governance…BJP governments are getting re-elected,” he said.
6.40 pm: Speaking at the BJP headquarters, party President J.P. Nadda said, “The people’s enthusiasm for the BJP translated into votes. I thank you all.”
He declared, “Modi is in Delhi’s heart. The Prime Minister has tirelessly served the backward castes and Dalits. This verdict is a resounding stamp of approval for the politics of vikas (development).”
Nadda emphasised that the BJP has not only delivered on its promises but has also fulfilled expectations beyond what was pledged. “Every citizen believes in ‘Modi ki guarantee’,” he said.
Taking a sharp jab at the AAP government, he added, “Delhi’s verdict is a slap in the face of corrupt politicians and a corrupt party. AAP has turned the city into a dustbin. Those who promised clean water delivered dirty sewage instead. Those who vowed to improve education kept children from learning science.”
He also labelled AAP “a factory of lies, an encyclopaedia of lies”.
6.30 pm: Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Smriti Irani, speaking to India Today, called the BJP’s win a “stunning victory, especially after such a long wait”.
She remarked that AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal was never a real challenger to Modi but was ultimately swept away by the “Modi tsunami”.
“While Kejriwal once promised clean governance, he instead became the poster child for corruption, with Delhi voters rejecting his government over scandals like the liquor scam and the extravagant Sheesh Mahal controversy. Modi was undefeatable,” she said.
On the effect the AAP’s defeat will have on the Punjab government, Irani said, “When a leader becomes a destabilising force within his own organisation, the best description is left to those who were with the AAP and have fallen by the wayside.”
As for the BJP’s next political focus, she declared: “Next stop—Bihar”.
6.20 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the Delhi BJP headquarters amid celebrations and enthusiastic cheers.
6.10 pm: Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal launched a sharp criticism at the AAP, stating that god “punishes” those who commit crime against women. Maliwal’s remarks are a veiled reference to the assault case, wherein she alleged AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s personal aide, Bibhav Kumar of “assaulting” her at the then CM’s residence.
6.00 pm: Speaking to the media, Congress MP Kumari Selja said, “They both (AAP and BJP) are alike. There was a BJP government in Centre and AAP in state for 10 years and both are responsible for the plight of Delhi. Let us see what use will the BJP make of the opportunity Delhi gave them. We will also analyse their work…”
The Congress drew a blank for the third consecutive assembly election.
#WATCH | Sirsa, Haryana: On #DelhiElectionResults, Congress MP Kumari Selja says, "They both (AAP and BJP) are alike. There was BJP in Centre and AAP in State since 10 years and both are responsible for the plight of Delhi. Let us see what use will the BJP make of the opportunity… pic.twitter.com/cBjWZTwvDl
— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2025
5.35 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President J.P. Nadda, and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrive at BJP headquarters in Delhi.
5.15 pm: After trailing initially, AAP’s Amanatullah Khan took the lead in Okhla and defeated the BJP’s Manish Chaudhary by 23,639 votes.
5.05 pm: WATCH LIVE: ThePrint political experts analyse Delhi election results.
Hilal Ahmed, associated with the Lokniti programme of the CSDS, and Rahul Verma, a Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) speak to ThePrint’s Neelam Pandey about Arvind Kejriwal’s role in the fall of the AAP.
5.00 pm: Samajwadi Party (SP) took aim at INDIA bloc ally Congress over the outcome of the Delhi Assembly elections. SP Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav told reporters Saturday, “Congress was busy ensuring BJP’s win and AAP’s loss…they (BJP) came back (to power in Delhi) after 27 years, they put all their might into it…the Prime Minister did (public) meetings every day…”
4.45 pm: Kapil Mishra, a firebrand Hindutva leader of the BJP, has won by a margin of over 23,355 votes from Delhi’s Karawal Nagar Assembly constituency, defeating Manoj Kumar Tyagi of the AAP.
Mishra was given a ticket from Karawal Nagar in place of sitting MLA Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP leader had courted controversy over his fiery speech in 2020 that was said to have triggered the riots in northeast Delhi. He was targeted by the ruling AAP and the Congress in Delhi for his remarks. Read Neelam Pandey’s story on the leader.
4.30 pm: Reacting to the BJP’s victory in Delhi, BJP National President J.P. Nadda posted on X that Delhi was now free of AAP.
“The ‘AAP-Da’ government had crossed all limits of corruption, misgovernance and appeasement in Delhi. Today, Delhi is free from their lies, deceit and fraud and is beginning its journey into a new era of progress and prestige. This mandate will give a concrete shape to our resolution of ‘Developed Delhi-Developed India’,” he wrote.
'आप-दा' मुक्त दिल्ली !
आज दिल्ली विधानसभा चुनाव के परिणाम में भारतीय जनता पार्टी की प्रचण्ड विजय आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी के कुशल नेतृत्व में सेवा, सुशासन, गरीब कल्याण, अंत्योदय व विकासपरक नीतियों पर जनता – जनार्दन के अटूट समर्थन की जीत है। प्रत्येक बूथ पर अथक…
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) February 8, 2025
4.20 pm: Reacting to the BJP wresting the Milkipur assembly seat from the SP in a bypoll, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said Saturday, “The Milkipur assembly bypoll clearly signals the end of the politics of lies and corruption, marking a decisive turn. Under the leadership of PM Modi, the work focused on service, security, governance, and public welfare, which has been ongoing for the past 11 years, and has led to this victory.”
On the BJP’s win in Delhi, he said, “The politics of lies and looting has been completely defeated in Delhi. Our national capital will now successfully benefit from development, governance, and welfare schemes.”
4.05 pm: Former Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot, who quit the the AAP last November before joining the BJP, has won in the Bijwasan seat by a margin of more than 11,000 votes. His nearest rival, AAP’s Surender Bhardwaj, secured 53,675 votes.
A lawyer by profession, Gahlot was first elected to the Delhi Legislative Assembly from Najafgarh on an AAP ticket in 2015. During his time in government, he held several key portfolios ranging from finance, transport, revenue, law and justice and administrative reforms, among others.
3.55 pm: The Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is set to lose both constituencies it contested in the 2025 Delhi assembly elections—Mustafabad and Okhla.
Tahir Hussain, AIMIM candidate from Mustafabad, finished third behind BJP’s Mohan Singh Bisht, the incumbent MLA of Karawal Nagar, and AAP’s Adeel Ahmad Khan.
Shifa-ur-Rehman Khan, contesting from the Okhla seat, was trailing by over 31,000 votes behind AAP’s Amanatullah Khan, who polled nearly 69,800 votes after 16 out of 23 rounds of voting.
3.45 pm: BJP’s Harish Khurana has won from Moti Nagar by 11,657 votes, defeating AAP’s sitting MLA Shivcharan Goel.
3.40 pm: ThePrint’s Neelam Pandey reports from outside Arvind Kejriwal’s home, which wears a deserted look, with no signs of celebration, party workers or volunteers.
The former Delhi CM lost the New Delhi seat, where he faced Parvesh Verma, son of former CM Sahib Singh Verma, and Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit, son of Sheila Dikshit.
3.25 pm: Durgesh Pathak, a senior AAP leader, former MLA, and member of the party’s Political Affairs Committee and National Executive, has lost the Rajinder Nagar seat to BJP’s Umang Bajaj by 1,231 votes. In a post on X, he expressed gratitude to the public for giving him two years to serve.
“I put in my best efforts, and these two years have been among the most wonderful of my life. While I couldn’t win this election, I sincerely thank all my voters and party workers. I hope I was able to make a positive impact, and I apologise for any shortcomings.”
3.10 pm: Saurabh Bharadwaj, the former Delhi health minister, lost the Greater Kailash seat to BJP’s Shikha Roy by 3,188 votes. Roy, an advocate and two-time BJP councilor, secured 49,594 votes, while Bharadwaj received 46,406 votes. Prior to the 2025 election, Bharadwaj had established a strong foothold in Greater Kailash, winning the seat in 2015 and again in 2020. In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, he defeated Roy by a margin of 16,809 votes.
2.50 pm: BJP’s Parvesh Saheb Singh Verma, who is being hailed as a giant slayer after he defeated AAP national convener and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi assembly constituency, told India Today that Delhi’s voters have given the BJP a great responsibility and the party will rise up to the great challenge it now faces.
“The party told me two months ago that I had to fight in Delhi; the BJP workers made a lot of efforts and the people [of Delhi] placed their faith in Modi ji,” he said. Asked whether he was in the running for the post of chief minister, Verma said it is up to the BJP’s top leadership to decide.
2.40 pm: In an election where some of AAP’s top leaders lost the elections, former Delhi minister Gopal Rai has won in Babarpur seat by a comfortable margin of 18,994 votes. His nearest rival, Anil Kumar Vashisht of the BJP, secured a total of 57,198 votes, followed by Mohd Ishraq Khan of the Congress who bagged 8,797 votes.
Meanwhile, expressing pride in his party workers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X said it was the work of karyakartas that led to this “outstanding result”.
We will work even more vigorously and serve the wonderful people of Delhi,” he wrote. “It is our guarantee that we will leave no stone unturned in developing Delhi, improving the overall quality of life for the people and ensuring that Delhi has a prime role to play in building a Viksit Bharat.”
I am so proud of each and every @BJP4India Karyakarta, who has worked very hard, leading to this outstanding result. We will work even more vigorously and serve the wonderful people of Delhi.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 8, 2025
2.20 pm: Conceding defeat from New Delhi seat, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said, “I congratulate the BJP for their victory and I hope that they stand up to people’s expectations. We have tried our best to serve people over the past 10 years, ensuring development across sectors of health, education, water, infrastructure, etc. We accept the people’s decision and we will be a constructive Opposition standing by the people. We did not enter politics for power. We are in politics to serve the people.”
“We will continue to stand with the people of Delhi in their happiness and sorrow. I commend AAP workers. They worked very hard and fought well,” he added.
Delhi CM Atishi, who won in Kalkaji, told reporters Saturday that this is not a time for celebration.
“First of all, I thank the voters of the Kalkaji constituency for placing their trust in me. I also extend my gratitude to my entire team, who bravely faced muscle power, hooliganism, and violence while working on the ground and connecting with the public,” she said.
Adding, “This is the people’s mandate, and I accept it. I have won the seat, but this is not a time for celebration—it is still a time for battle against the BJP, its dictatorship, and its hooliganism. AAP has always fought against injustice and will continue to do so… This may be a setback, but AAP’s efforts and struggle for the people of Delhi and India will never stop.”
2.00 pm: With the BJP set to return to Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah posted on X that the people of Delhi cannot be “misled” by false promises.
“The public has responded to the dirty Yamuna, dirty drinking water, broken roads, overflowing sewers and liquor shops open in every street with their votes. Be it respect for women, the self-respect of residents of unauthorised colonies, or the immense possibilities of self-employment, Delhi will now become an ideal capital under the leadership of Modiji.”
1.50 pm: From Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia to Saurabh Bhardwaj, many AAP giants have lost the Delhi Assembly Election. From 26 November, 2012—the day that marked the beginning of the meteoric rise of India’s most significant political disruptor in contemporary history—to now, Sourav Roy Barman charts AAP’s rise and fall. Read his story.
1.35 pm: Atishi, who stepped in as Delhi chief minister after the shock resignation of Arvind Kejriwal last September, has won in Kalkaji assembly seat where she faced a tough contest from BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Alka Lamba of the Congress. A Rhodes and Radhakrishnan-Chevening scholar, Atishi has been associated with the AAP since 2013 and was first elected to the Delhi legislative assembly in 2020.
The Kalkaji constituency is an interesting mix of upmarket residential areas, middle-class pockets, unauthorised colonies and slums. While pockets such as Maharani Bagh and New Friends Colony have affluent sections, those like Govindpuri, Kalkaji and Tughlakabad have a large lower middle-class population. Read Prashant Srivastava’s report.
1.25 pm: Rakhi Birla, the Deputy Speaker of the outgoing Delhi Legislative Assembly and former Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development, Social Welfare, and Languages, is trailing by 11,826 votes to BJP’s Kailash Gangwal in the Madipur constituency.
1.15 pm: Arvinder Singh Lovely wins Gandhi Nagar. Contesting for the BJP this time, Lovely was previously a 4-time MLA from Congress.
He defeated AAP’s Naveen Choudhary by a margin of over 11,000.
1.00 pm: BJP Manjinder Singh Sirsa wins Rajouri Garden by a margin of 18,190 against AAP candidate A. Dhanwati Chandela A.
Meanwhile, in Kondli, AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar wins with 61,792 votes. BJP’s Priyanka Gautam loses by 6,293 votes.
12.55 pm: ECI declares first wins for AAP & BJP.
In Shalimar Bagh, BJP’s Rekha Gupta defeats AAP’s Bandana Kumari by 29,595 seats. In Delhi Cantt, AAP leader Virender Singh Kadian wins against BJP’s Bhuvan Tanwar by 2029 votes.
12.40 pm: AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal loses New Delhi seat to BJP’s Parvesh Verma.
Manish Sisodia loses Jangpura to BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah.
Speaking to the media, Sisodia says, “Party workers fought well. We all did hard work. People have supported us as well. But, I lost by 600 votes. I congratulate the candidate who won. I hope he will work for the constituency.”
12.30 pm: Former UPSC educator and AAP candidate Avadh Ojha has conceded defeat in the Patparganj seat to BJP’s Ravinder Singh Negi. Speaking to reporters Saturday, he said, “This is my personal defeat, and I take full responsibility. I couldn’t connect with the people, but I will meet them and contest the next election from here.”
In the run up to the polls, Ojha, speaking to ThePrint, had shared his plans for Patparganj if elected. He envisioned transforming the East Delhi constituency into a Kota-like coaching hub, a place with world-class infrastructure so that the youth from across Delhi can come to pursue their dreams of cracking various competitive exams. Read Prashant Srivastava’s story.
12.20 pm: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who arrived at Kannur Airport Saturday morning, said she had not checked the trends for the Delhi Assembly elections.
The Congress, which was in power in Delhi for 15 years, was seen trailing in all 70 constituencies in the national capital.
12.15 pm: Speaking to ANI, social activist Anna Hazare says, “I have been saying for a long time that the candidates contesting elections must have character, good ideas and no dent on their image. But, they (AAP) didn’t get that. They got tangled in liquor and money. (Arvind Kejriwal’s) image was dented because of it and that’s why they are getting fewer votes in the election… People saw that he talks about character but gets involved in liquor.”
12.00 pm: With early trends showing the BJP ahead of the ruling AAP in the national capital, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva told news agency ANI that the party’s central leadership will decide who will be the BJP’s chief ministerial face. “This issue doesn’t matter much to us. Those (AAP) who betray people, the people will treat them like this (defeat) only,” he added.
The BJP went into the Delhi Assembly elections without a chief ministerial face, whereas the AAP projected former CM Arvind Kejriwal as the face of the party.
11.45 am: BJP’s Harish Khurana, son of former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana, is leading by 8,045 votes over AAP’s sitting MLA Shivcharan Goel in Moti Nagar.
This was Harish’s electoral debut from the seat that his father had won twice—in 1993 and 2003. He had previously served as the spokesperson of Delhi BJP and currently holds the position of a secretary in Delhi unit now. The BJP had last won the Moti Nagar seat back in 2013, when Subhash Sachdeva had defeated AAP’s Kuldeep Singh Channa. Since 2015, the seat has been held by AAP’s Goel, who had won by over 14,000 votes in the 2020 assembly elections. Read ThePrint’s story.
11.30 am: AAP’s Manish Sisodia is in the lead by 3,869 votes against BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah after 5 rounds of counting.
Meanwhile, in the New Delhi seat, with seven rounds of counting done, BJP’s Parvesh Verma is back in the lead. Arvind Kejriwal is trailing by 238 votes.
11.15 am: Chandrabhanu Paswan of the BJP has gained a lead of 18,000+ votes over Ajit Prasad of the Samajwadi Party in the hotly contested bypoll for Milkipur assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh. The seat was held by SP’s Awadhesh Prasad from 2022 until last year when he resigned from the legislative assembly and was elected to the Lok Sabha from the coveted Faizabad seat on a SP ticket. The Milkipur seat was held by the SP from 1996 until 2007 and then again from 2012 until 2017.
Comfortably in the lead, Paswan was seen offering prayers at a temple in Ayodhya. He told news agency ANI, “I express gratitude towards the people of Milkipur for extending their support to the party…”.
11.00 am: On BJP’s lead in Delhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, “… The early trends show a sharp competition. Had Congress and AAP been together, the results may have been different… The political opponent of AAP and Congress is BJP. Both of them fought to keep BJP from coming to power, but they fought individually. If they had been together, BJP’s defeat would have been confirmed in the first hour (of counting)…”
10.45 am: According to the Election Commission, the BJP’s current vote share is around 47%, while the AAP holds 43% and Congress nearly 7%.
10.35 am: BJP’s Mustafabad candidate Mohan Singh Bisht, who was denied Karawal Nagar to accommodate Kapil Mishra, is leading by 16,181 votes against AAP’s Adeel Ahmad Khan. Mustafabad is a Muslim-dominated seat.
The BJP is also ahead in another Muslim-dominated seat—Okhla.
10.30 am: AAP’s Somnath Bharti is trailing in Malviya Nagar, while BJP’s Satish Upadhyay is in the lead by 1,400 votes. YouTuber and Independent candidate Meghnad S. has received 38 votes so far.
10.15 am: After initially trailing in early trends, Arvind Kejriwal takes the lead in the New Delhi seat by a slim margin of 343 votes against BJP’s Parvesh Verma.
AAP’s Satyendar Jain is trailing from Shakur Basti by 6,524 votes behind BJP’s Karnail Singh.
10.00 am: BJP’s Ravinder Singh Negi is leading in Patparganj against the AAP’s Avadh Ojha by 1,971 votes.
In Okhla, Amanatullah Khan of the AAP is trailing by 2,260 votes behind BJP candidate Manish Chaudhary.
After taking an early lead, AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj is now trailing in Greater Kailash after the second round of counting. BJP’s Shikha Roy ahead by 459 votes.
9.45 am: Trends for all 70 seats are in and the BJP has taken significant lead in Delhi. Amid this, Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah took a jab at the Congress and AAP, posting a reel on X, saying, “Aur lado aapas mein!!!” (Go on, fight more with each other).
Aur lado aapas mein!!! https://t.co/f3wbM1DYxk pic.twitter.com/8Yu9WK4k0c
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 8, 2025
9.30 am: In Greater Kailash seat, AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj leading against the BJP’s Shikha Roy by 449 votes, show early EC trends.
9.15 am: BJP leads in 15 seats, according to the Election Commission. AAP ahead in 3.
AAP chief and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal trails against BJP’s Parvesh Verma in New Delhi constituency in early trends.
9.00 am: BJP in the lead in 33 seats, AAP in 23 seats and the Congress ahead in 1, show early trends — CNN News18
ThePrint’s political team—Neelam Pandey, Apoorva Mandhani, Shanker Arnimesh and Sourav Roy Barman—decode Delhi poll results & numbers. Watch LIVE.
8.45 am: Early trends have BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri in the lead in Kalkaji seat against AAP’s Atishi and Congress’s Alka Lamba.
8.30 am: Counting of EVM votes begins.
8.15 am: BJP candidate from New Delhi seat, Parvesh Verma says, “All exit polls are indicating a clear win for BJP. I have prayed to Lord Hanuman and Shani to help BJP form the government in Delhi so that, under the leadership of PM Modi, we can do good work in the national capital.” — PTI
Ahead of the assembly polls, Verma found himself at odds with the AAP over allegations of cash distribution to voters. Both AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi accused Verma of handing out money in the New Delhi constituency, which Kejriwal represents. Verma denied the allegations, stating that while he was not distributing cash for votes, he was providing financial aid to those in need. Read ThePrint’s report on how the battle unfolded.
8.00 am: Counting of postal ballots begins.
7.45 am: AAP candidate from Greater Kailash, Saurabh Bharadwaj says, “Every attempt was made to remove AAP from government but the public’s blessings are with the AAP. I believe that the public is going to make Arvind Kejriwal the CM for the fourth time. In a few days, he will take oath as the CM. We are getting information from different areas that AAP will get a comfortable majority and make government…AAP will get a minimum 40-45 seats.” — ANI
7.30 am: In its Delhi manifesto, the BJP has promised to introduce ‘anti-Romeo’ squads, an initiative first launched in Uttar Pradesh under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in 2017. Over the years, the campaign has experienced several ups and downs. ThePrint’s Prashant Srivastava examines its impact in UP.
7.15 am: At least six exit polls released Wednesday gave the BJP an edge over the ruling AAP, while one other predicted a close contest between the incumbent and the primary challenger. The next day, two other exit polls (Axis My India and Today’s Chanakya) also predicted that the BJP could return to power in Delhi after a gap of nearly 27 years.
7 am: Polling for Delhi’s 70 assembly seats was held in a single phase at 13,766 polling stations on 5 February. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Delhi recorded a total voter turnout of 60.42 percent, with the North-East district recording the highest turnout at 66.25 percent, and South-East recording the lowest at 56.16 percent.
Also Read: Can income tax relief help BJP clinch Delhi? Anatomy of the middle-class voter demographic