Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP cruised to a massive victory in Delhi Assembly elections, nearly repeating its performance in 2015 polls.
The Aam Aadmi Party once again emerged victorious in Delhi Assembly elections. The counting of votes for the Delhi Assembly elections -- after one of the most bitter and aggressive campaigns -- began at 8 AM. Early leads had indicated BJP gaining significantly, but AAP later crusied to massive victory, leading in 62 of 70 seats -- a close prediction by exit polls.
Though the BJP had said that the results would give everyone a "shock", party's Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari conceded defeat.
In the 70 seats, according to the Election Commission, 62.59% of the electorate exercised its franchise to elect the new government. The BJP's campaign during the run-up to polls was filled with controversial statements and severe criticism of the anti-CAA and NRC protests at Shaheen Bagh. The AAP, on the other hand, banked on development agenda. Congress' near absence in the competition also favour the AAP.
Here are all the live updates:
6:50 PM: "AAP won, bluff and bluster lost. The people of Delhi, who are from all parts of India, have defeated the polarising, divisive and dangerous agenda of the BJP," Congress leader and former Union minister P. Chidambaram tweeted.
6:44 PM: AAP's Somnath Bharti wins from Malviya Nagar seat with a margin of 18,144 votes and Haji Yunus wins from Mustafabad seat with a margin of 20,704 votes.
6:35 PM: PM Narendra Modi took to twitter to congratulate the AAP and party chief Arvind Kejriwal.
6:30 PM: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "My best wishes & congratulations to Mr Kejriwal and the AAP on winning the Delhi Assembly elections."
6:21 PM: Arvind Kejriwal wins New Delhi seat by defeating BJP's Sunil Kumar Yadav with a margin of 21,697 votes.
6:13 PM: "We were zero earlier, are zero now, so it's BJP's defeat not ours," says Congress leader and Punjab cabinet minister Sadhu Singh Dharamso as the party fails to open its kitty in Delhi Assembly elections.
6:07 PM: AAP crosses halfway mark in 70-member Delhi Assembly. The party is all set to return to power for third term as it wins 37 seats and leads on 25. BJP has won 3 and is leading in 5 seats.
5:47 PM: Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh congratulated Arvind Kejriwal on Twitter for AAP's victory in Delhi. "Congratulations to CM Arvind Kejriwal and his party for winning the Delhi Assembly elections," he said.
4:09 PM: Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari congratulated Arvind Kejriwal on his party's victory.
"Thank you to all the voters of Delhi. Thank you to all the party workers for their hard work… We respect the mandate of people. @ArvindKejriwal congratulations to you," he posted on Twitter in Hindi
3:42 PM: Agenda of development will take us to the future, says Kejriwal.
3:41 PM: People have chosen the politics of development, says Kejriwal.
3:38 PM: With AAP set to retain power, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal says people have proved that those who worked for the welfare of people, they will be voted to victory.
3:26 PM: "I congratulate Arvind Kejriwal and the people of Delhi for AAP's victory in Delhi Elections. People have shown that the country will be run by 'Jan Ki Baat', not 'Mann Ki Baat'. BJP called Kejriwal a terrorist but couldn't defeat him," says Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
3:22 PM: Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat wins Sultanpur Majra seat, defeats Ram Chander Chawriya by 48052 votes.
3:20 PM: Raaj Kumar Ananad wins Patel Nagar seat, defeating BJP's Pravesh Ratan by 30935 votes.
3:14 PM: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia wins the Patparganj seat in East Delhi after a tough fight against BJP's Ravinder Singh Negi.
3:12 PM: AAP candidate from Kalkaji, Atishi, thanks people of Delhi as leads by a large margin, says "we will make Kalkaji Delhi's best constituency."
3:04 PM: Manish Sisodia, leading by around 3000 votes over his BJP rival Ravinder Singh Negi in Patpargunj, said. "I am happy to become the MLA from Patparganj assembly constituency again. BJP tried to do politics of hate but people of Delhi chose a government that works for the people."
2:56 PM: Raghav Chadha wins Rajinder Nagar seat, defeats Sardar R P Singh.
2:48 PM: Delhi poll results indicate 'winds of change' blowing in the country, says NCP chief Sharad Pawar as AAP heads for a victory.
2:37 PM: "I congratulate Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal for the excellent victory. BJP has lost the fifth state election in a row. It means we have somewhere failed to connect with the people of Delhi," Kapil Mishra, BJP candidate from Model Town constituency.
2:21 PM: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia gains a lead from Patparganj by 2073 votes. Sisodia had been trailing behind BJP's Ravinder Singh Negi. Patparganj emerged one of the constituencies where BJP and AAP has had a neck and neck fight.
1:46 PM: "I accept the result. We will work hard and give a better performance in the next elections. If this election would have been on education and development, then Education Minister (Manish Sisodia) would not have been trailing," says BJP MP Parvesh Verma.
1:37 PM: "AAP, BJP attempted to polarise assembly polls, and they were successful to some extent," Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra said.
1:28 PM: "People's mandate is against us, we accept it; we have resolved to strengthen and rebuild party," says Congress as AAP heads for a victory.
1:25 PM: "People of Delhi have shocked the BJP and Amit Shah...This is the victory of development and defeat of hatred," AAP candidate from Okhla, Amanatullah Khan, said.
1:13 PM: "We accept the results and congratulate Arvind Kejriwal and the people of Delhi. We tried our best but, probably, we could not convince the people of the state. I hope Delhi develops under the chief ministership of Arvind Kejriwal," BJP MP from East Delhi, Gautam Gambhir.
1:09 PM: Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal dissolves Delhi Legislative Assembly.
12:57 PM: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with political strategist Prashant Kishor at AAP party office.
12:47 PM: "I have congratulated Arvind Kejriwal. People have rejected BJP. Only development will work, CAA, NRC and NPR will be rejected," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
12:41 PM: AAP's Amantullah Khan leading by 70514 votes from Okhla constituency.
12:31 PM: Aam Aadmi Party leaders Sanjay Singh, ND Gupta and Sushil Gupta celebrate at party office as the party takes big lead according to official EC trends. Sanjay Singh says 'Aaj Hindustan jeet gaya' and sings in celebration.
12:20 PM: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Congress' performance in Delhi election: "We were already aware of it. The question is: what happened to BJP which was making big claims?"
12:09 PM: "Thank you Delhi for standing up to protect the soul of India!" says Prashant Kishor, AAP's poll strategist.
12:08 PM: "I take responsibility for the party's performance, we will analyse the factors behind this. Reason for the drop in our vote percentage is politics of polarization by both BJP and AAP," says Subhash Chopra, Delhi Congress chief.
11:46 AM: Aam Aadmi Party's Rajesh Rishi leading against Bharatiya Janata Party's Ashish Sood from Janakpuri, after 7 rounds of counting.
11:33 AM: Aam Aadmi Party's Raj Kumari Dhillon leading against Bharatiya Janata Party's Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga from Hari Nagar constituency, after fifth round of counting.
11:26 AM: Deputy CM Manish Sisodia trailing behind BJP's Ravi Negi by 1427 votes, in Patparganj assembly constituency, after third round of counting.
11:21 AM: "We are not upset. The initial trend is not in our favor, but the exit polls were good. We are a little behind our estimate but we still hope that we will win," says Manoj Tiwari as trends favour AAP.
11:18 AM: Close contest in Okhla constituency where BJP candidate Braham Singh is leading by 194 votes and AAP's Amanatullah Khan is trailing.
11:15 AM: Congress' Alka Lamba trailing by over 12,000 votes from Chandni Chowk constituency, AAP's Parlad Singh Sawhney leading.
11:12 AM: AAP candidate from Model Town, Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, who is leading over BJP's Kapil Mishra says: "I thank everyone who has expressed their confidence in Arvind Kejriwal. People want a govt that takes care of its citizens. People of Delhi have voted for development; I thank them."
11:08 AM: AAP's Vishesh Ravi leading by over 10,000 votes from Karol Bagh; BJP's Yogender Chandoliya second.
11:07 AM: Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot leading by 85 votes on Najafgarh constituency.
10:56 AM: Delhi Assembly Speaker and AAP leader Ram Niwas Goel trailing from Shahdara by 1,303 votes; BJP's Sanjay Goyal in the lead.
10:52 AM: : AAP candidate Sanjeev Jha leading by 6,988 votes from Burari constituency.
10:49 AM: AAP's Preeti Tomar trailing by 1,500 votes.
10:46 AM: AAP's Haji Yunus trailing by over 14,000 votes in Mustafabad, BJP's Jagdish Pradhan leading.
10:41 AM: Aam Aadmi Party leading on 50 seats while BJP leads in 18, EC trends show.
10:30 AM: In Chandni Chowk assembly constituency, AAP's Parlad Singh Sawhney leads at 6043 votes, Congress's Alka Lamba and BJP's Suman Kumar Gupta trail behind.
10:28 AM: Aam Aadmi Party's Jarnail Singh leading from Tilak Nagar after first round of counting.
10:22 AM: Official EC trends shows Aam Aadmi Party leading on 39 seats, crossing the majority mark, while Bharatiya Janata Party leads on 19 seats.
10:20 AM: BJP's Vijender Gupta trailing by over 1,200 votes from Rohini constituency, AAP's Rajesh Nama Bansiwala leading.
10:17 AM: "Trends indicate that there is a gap between AAP-BJP, there is still time. We are hopeful. Whatever the outcome, being the State chief, I am responsible," Manoj Tiwari said.
10:11 AM: Official EC trends show that AAP is leading on 33 seats while BJP is rallying behind with a lead on 19 seats. The 19 seat lead indicates that the BJP has improved its tally significantly.
10:04 AM: Assembly Speaker and AAP leader Ram Niwas Goel leading from Shahdara by 81 votes.
10:03 AM: Aam Aadmi Party convener, Arvind Kejriwal, leads from New Delhi seat.
9:56 AM: As the counting of votes for the Delhi Assembly polls began, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh raised doubts over EVMs, alleging that no machine having a chip is tamper-proof.
9:53 AM: AAP gains lead from 22 seats in early trends while Bharatiya Janata Party ahead in 14 seats.
9:46 AM: Aam Aadmi Party's Raj Kumari Dhillon leading against BJP's Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga from Hari Nagar, after first round of counting.
9:40 AM: According to the official Election Commission trends, the BJP and AAP have garnered 46.5 per cent and 47.7 per cent vote share, respectively.
9:35 AM: Official EC trends show both Aam Aadmi Party and BJP leading in 10 seats.
9:31 AM: Official EC trends show Aam Aadmi Party leading on 7 seats and Bharatiya Janata Party leading on 6 seats.
9:29 AM: Somnath Bharti from Malviya Nagar constituency leads, early trends show.
9:26 AM: Aam Aadmi Party's Saurabh Bhardwaj leading from Greater Kailash constituency.
9:23 AM: As the counting began for the 70 Assembly seats in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party office in the national capital is all set to celebrate the re-election.
9:21 AM: "Wait for the final result, we are going to register a massive win," AAP leader Sanjay Singh.
9:16 AM: BJP candidate from Model Town, Kapil Mishra, trails, according to early trends.
9:12 AM: Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga leads from West Delhi's Hari Nagar seat.
9:07 AM: AAP leading at 54 seats, BJP at 15 and Congress at one, early trends indicate.
8:57 AM: "There are total 13 rounds of counting. Right now, postal ballots are being counted. The first round of counting will be completed by around 9 am. First trends will emerge around 10 am," Sanjeev Kumar, Returning officer, AC-55 Trilokpuri, said.
8:55 AM: Delhi CM and AAP convener, Arvind Kejriwal, leads from New Delhi constituency, early trends indicate.
8:51 AM: Delhi Deputy CM and Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Patparganj assembly constituency Manish Sisodia and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, Ravi Negi, at Akshardham counting centre.
8:42 AM: Early trends indicate AAP's dominance -- AAP leads at 51 seats, BJP at 14 and Congress, one.
8:34 AM: AAP continues to maintain lead in early trends. AAP leads at 40 seats, BJP at 13 while Congress still leads at 1 seat.
8:24 AM: Early leads continue to indicate that AAP races ahead of BJP, with the ruling party leading at 32 seats while the Saffron party leading at 12.
8:19 AM: According to early trends, AAP is leading at 30 seats, BJP at 10 and Congress at 1.
8:10 AM: Early leads indicate that AAP has edge over Bharatiya Janata Party.
8:04 AM: Scenes from Maharani Bagh counting centre:
8:00 AM: Counting of votes begins.
7:54 AM: "The postal ballots will be counted first till 8.30 am and then the votes cast through EVMs will be counted," Delhi CEO said.
7:50 AM: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia says they are confident of a win, saying they have worked for people in the last five years.
7:44 AM: Aam Aadmi Party Okhla candidate Amanatullah Khan and Jangpura candidate Praveen Kumar late night on Monday visited the designated strongroom to store EVMs at Meerabai Institute of Technology in Maharanibagh.
7:32 AM: Traffic restrictions are in place at several roads ahead of counting of votes. "Traffic Alert Traffic movement will remain closed on Muni Maya Ram Marg near Guru Nanak Dev Institute of Technology (both carriageways) due to vote counting today," Delhi Traffic Police said in a tweet.
7:23 AM: Ahead of the counting, BJP Delhi chief, Manoj Tiwari, said: "I am not nervous. I am confident that it will be a good day for BJP. We are coming to power in Delhi today. Don't be surprised if we win 55 seats."