Exit polls predict AAP clean sweep in Delhi, BJP puts up brave face

Exit polls by various agencies on Saturday (February 8) predicted a clean sweep by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the 2020 Delhi assembly elections. Despite a likely rise in the BJP tally, the AAP is being predicted to fare somewhere between 44 and 63 seats in the 70-member legislative assembly, where the majority mark is 36.

According to the predictions, the BJP is expected to fare somewhere between five to 26 seats. In the 2015 elections, the saffron party had bagged only three seats as compared to the AAP’s 67 seats. The Congress had drawn nil then and the projections don’t show a better result this year as well.

The Times Now-Ipsos exit polls on Saturday predicted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will retain his chair with the AAP winning 44 seats against 26 for the BJP. Republic-Jan ki Baat survey gave the AAP 48-61 seats and the BJP 9-21 seats.

TV9 Bharatvarsh-Cicero predicted 54 seats for the AAP, 15 for the BJP and one for the Congress. NDTV Polls of Exit Polls predicted a 48-seat win for the Kejriwal-led party against the BJP’s 22 and the Congress’s 2.

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Delhi clocked a poor average of 55.18% turnout in the assembly elections on Saturday, much lower than the 67.08% recorded during 2015 polls. Over 1.47 crore Delhiites were eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls that will decide the fate of 672 candidates fighting what is being regarded a three-cornered battle between the AAP, BJP and Congress.

However, the Delhi unit of the BJP rejected the exit polls’ prediction with its president Manoj Tiwari predicting the party’s victory in 48 seats. “All these exit polls will fair. Save this tweet of mine. The BJP will form government in Delhi with 48 seats. Please don’t start blaming the EVMs,” he said in a tweet.

ये सभी एग्ज़िट पोल होंगे fail..
मेरी ये ट्वीट सम्भाल के रखियेगा..
भाजपा दिल्ली में ४८ सीट ले कर सरकार बनायेगी .. कृपया EVM को दोष देने का अभी से बहाना ना ढूँढे..?

— Manoj Tiwari (@ManojTiwariMP) February 8, 2020

After the exit polls predicted a defeat for the BJP, a top party leader said Union Home Minister Amit Shah will likely meet the BJP’s seven Lok Sabha MPs and other leaders late in the evening. “Shah will meet them to get their feedback of the voting on the 70 Assembly seats,” the leader said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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