Millions voted yesterday in the Delhi assembly elections, with exit polls suggesting the ruling Aam Aadmi Party would sweep back to power.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was a distant second, according to the exit polls released after voting ended.
An average of nine exit polls showed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s party was likely to win at least 52 out of 70 seats.
“We are winning by a huge margin,” tweeted Manish Sisodia, the deputy chief minister of Delhi.
Federal Home Minister Amit Shah, who had campaigned vigorously for the BJP highlighting his tough stance on national security, called a meeting of party members late yesterday.
The NewsX-Neta App exit poll suggests Kejriwal is leading his party back to power with between 53 and 57 seats.
The BJP is tipped to get 11 to 17 seats, while the Congress remains a no-gainer with zero to two seats.
NewsX held another exit poll along with POLSTRAT which does not give any different predictions.
According to it, the AAP gets 50-56 seats, the BJP 10-14 seats while the Congress scores a duck.
However, the Times Now-IPSOS exit poll shows that the BJP is likely to get 23 seats.
However, the AAP seems to be safe with 47 seats.
The Congress still gets a duck, according to this poll.
IPSOS did another survey, partnering with India TV, whose results are a little more cheering for the BJP, which scores 26 seats.
But, the AAP still retains power with 44 seats, and Congress gets nought again.
The Republic-Jan ki Baat exit poll makes the range wide.
It gives the AAP anything between 48 and 61, and the BJP between nine and 21 seats.
This exit poll too doesn’t give much to the Congress which is slated to get between zero and one seat.
Jan Ki Baat held another survey with News 24, where it made specific predictions - 55 seats for the AAP, 15 for the BJP and none for the Congress.
According to the ABP-CVoter survey, the Congress has hardly recovered from its rout in 2015.
But many would say that its lacklustre campaign is also to blame that directed all anti-BJP votes towards AAP, which is tipped to get between 49 and 63 seats. The Congress is likely to get between zero and four seats while the BJP is tipped to get between five and 19 seats.
Interestingly, the India Today-Axis Exit poll, which has been very accurate for the last few elections, gives the AAP a massive 59-68 seats.
Its a complete sweep for the AAP, if one goes by this exit poll.
It gives the BJP between two to 11 seats and predicts zero for the Congress.
Earlier in the day long lines had formed outside polling stations amid heavy security as a weeks-old protest by women against a new citizenship law took centre stage.
In an often vitriolic election campaign, Modi and other BJP leaders had slammed opponents of the law who deem it anti-Muslim. The BJP had been seeking to oust Kejriwal, whose party took a record 67 of 70 Delhi assembly seats in 2015.
While Kejriwal focused on local issues including the heavily subsidised electricity, water and healthcare he introduced, BJP leaders sought to turn the vote into a referendum on the women’s protest.
Hundreds have been blocking a main road through Shaheen Bagh district since December 15 in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act that offers a fast-track to Indian nationality for persecuted religious minorities from neighbouring countries but excludes Muslims.
On the eve of the elections, the BJP sent out messages telling people to vote for the party if they wanted an end to the Shaheen Bagh demonstration.
With the BJP on the back foot after failing in recent state elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, analysts said the Delhi result will be a key test of opinion on national issues.
Near the women’s protest site, food company senior executive Maroof Ahmad said the “BJP has only two agendas - Shaheen Bagh and Pakistan. They have nothing else to talk about.”
“GDP is falling, the economy is in a mess and they are only bothered about temples and mosques,” he added. But others lined up behind the prime minister.
In the affluent Jangpura neighbourhood, flower garlands and balloons decorated the polling station as financial consultant Vinod Kumar came to vote.
“I am not biased towards any political party but I don’t endorse the Shaheen Bagh protest. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru believed in and supported the citizenship law,” he said.
Thousands of extra security officers were on duty for the election with a large contingent at five polling stations near the Shaheen Bagh protest.
Women’s safety has increasingly become an issue in Delhi since a 2012 gang rape murder made international headlines.