In the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken an early lead, potentially threatening the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) decade-long hold on power.
Here’s a breakdown of the situation as vote counting commenced on February 8, 2025:
- Early Trends: The BJP quickly crossed the halfway mark of 36 seats shortly after counting began. Early trends showed the BJP leading in 41 of Delhi’s 70 assembly seats.
- Key Candidates: Several AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi, were initially trailing. However, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia started leading after trailing for nearly 2 hours. Arvind Kejriwal was trailing by just 74 votes in the New Delhi seat against BJP’s Parvesh Verma.
- Overall Performance: An hour into counting, the BJP had crossed the halfway mark. The BJP was leading in 44 seats, while AAP was at 26.
- Exit Polls: Exit polls largely favored the BJP over AAP. These polls projected a BJP win, with AAP potentially not securing a majority. Congress was expected to win only 1-2 seats.
- Voter Turnout: Delhi has over 1.5 crore voters, but the Election Commission reported a voter turnout of 60.54%.
- Key Issues: Before the results, tensions flared outside Arvind Kejriwal’s residence as the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) sought evidence for his allegations that the BJP attempted to poach AAP candidates.
The counting of votes began at 8 am across 19 counting stations. The results will determine whether AAP secures a fourth consecutive term or if the BJP will make a comeback in Delhi after 26 years.
