AAP is well on the way to power in Delhi
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New Delhi: As counting goes on in Delhi polls, Aam Aadmi party is riding back to power leading in 57 seats of 70 and its archrival BJP bettered its performance heading in 14 constituencies, while Congress shows presence on and off in vague trace in one seat, as per latest reports.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who led the campaign is ahead of his rival in the New Delhi seat by 9815 votes, while his deputy Manish Sisodia from Patparganj seat trails by over 1000 votes.
Responding to favourable trends in results, AAP headquarters in Rouse Avenue is awash in celebrations, while Congress is still struggling to grasp the impact. However, BJP's Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari is still in denial of the fact that AAP will surge back to power.
Talking to reporters, Tiwari hoped that difference of votes in 27 seats stand between 700 and 1000, and he said he was not nervous.
Sounding robustly optimistic, which many of his party men might not share, he was quoted as saying, “I am confident 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,"
Kejriwal, who brought large scale public discontent to bear on people to evolve a new party in 2012, garnered 67 seats in 2015 polls, leaving just three to the national behemoth BJP.
Just as counting is on, Congress spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee concedes that the party has again been decimated in the Delhi Assembly polls, reports IANS.
She pointed fingers at inordinate delay in decision making at the top and lack of energy, among other reasons, as the causes of failure.
Vote counting is in progress in 21 locations in 11 districts and a clear picture could only emerge in the afternoon. There are 672 candidates, 593 men and 79 women along gender lines, in the fray.
The campaign that went through the thick of anti-CAA protest had Kejeriwal for AAP, Prime Minister Modi for BJP and Rahul Gandhi for Congress as crowd pullers.
