As the vote counting for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections commences on February 8, the future political landscape of the national capital remains uncertain.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), under the leadership of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is working towards securing a fourth consecutive term, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) aims to end its prolonged absence from power in Delhi, which has lasted for 27 years.
Election Overview
The single-phase election that took place on February 5 saw a voter turnout of 60.42%, a slight decline compared to the 62.59% recorded in 2020.
A total of 699 candidates contested across 70 constituencies, primarily pitting AAP against BJP; however, Congress has also remained a notable competitor.
Exit Poll Projections
Recent exit polls have yielded varying predictions:
Axis My India: Forecasts suggest BJP will secure between 45 and 55 seats with AAP winning approximately 15 to 25 seats.
CNX: Indicates a strong victory for BJP with projections ranging from 49 to 61 seats, whereas AAP’s anticipated range is between 10 and 19 seats.
Today’s Chanakya: Expects BJP to achieve about 51 seats (with an error margin of ±6) while anticipating AAP’s total at around nineteen seats (also with an error margin of ±6).
These varied forecasts hint at possible changes within Delhi’s political framework as BJP seems likely to make substantial gains.
Key Contests
Several noteworthy constituencies are capturing public attention:
New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal finds himself contesting against Parvesh Verma from BJP and Sandeep Dikshit from Congress.
Kalkaji: Chief Minister Atishi faces off against Ramesh Bidhuri from BJP and Alka Lamba representing Congress.
The outcomes in these critical areas could significantly affect overall electoral results.
Allegations of Poaching
In anticipation of what lies ahead after the results are tallied, AAP has leveled accusations against BJP regarding attempts to lure away their candidates through financial inducements.
Kejriwal claimed that offers exceeding ₹15 crore were made by BJP to persuade several members of his party to defect. In response, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has commenced an investigation into these allegations and even visited Kejriwal’s home searching for evidence.
Dismissing these assertions as unfounded, BJP has threatened legal action in retaliation.
Security and Counting Arrangements
For this counting process, the Election Commission put in place stringent security arrangements: Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be kept in 70 strong rooms at a total of 19 locations, which will have a three-tiered security system.
For an explicit and seamless counting process, close to 5,000 personnel, including counting supervisors, assistants, and micro-observers, have been deployed.
As they await the final decision, the results of the elections could spell doom for AAP, and it would not set BJP up for a historic comeback after almost three decades. Results will determine the way of governance of the national capital and will mirror a larger political trend in India.
