New Delhi: Counting of votes for the Delhi assembly polls will take place on Saturday to decide whether the AAP comes to power for a fourth term or the BJP forms a government in the national capital after 27 years.
The Congress is also looking for some gains after drawing a blank in the last two elections.
Several exit polls have given the BJP an edge over the AAP, which has been ruling in Delhi since 2015.
The counting process will begin at 8 am with early trends likely to start coming in from initial hours. According to the Election Commission, 60.54 per cent votes were polled on Wednesday.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva has claimed his party will win nearly 50 seats. The AAP has rejected the exit poll predictions, asserting it will form the government again with its convener Arvind Kejriwal becoming chief minister for the fourth time.
Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Alice Vaz said that a total of 5,000 personnel, including counting supervisors, counting assistants, micro-observers, and supporting staff trained for the process, will be deployed on Saturday for the counting of votes.
In view of the fairness of the counting process, a random selection of five VVPATs (voter verifiable paper audit trails) will be done in each assembly constituency.
In a snowballing controversy, Lt Governor VK Saxena on Friday ordered an anti corruption branch (ACB) probe into allegations by AAP leaders that the BJP had attempted to poach its candidates by offering them Rs 15 crore and ministerial berth.
The AAP leaders have accused the BJP of trying to create an illusion in their favour based on exit poll predictions, but trying to poach AAP’s candidates with chances of victory.
The BJP has demanded that AAP retract its charges and tender an apology or face legal action.
Delhi BJP general secretary Vishnu Mittal also wrote to the Lt Governor requesting for an ACB probe into AAP’s charges. Soon after the LG’s order, an ACB team visited Kejriwal in connection with the matter.
Earlier on Friday, Kejriwal held a meeting with all party candidates and asserted that the AAP will form its government, while alleging that the opposition is using exit polls to create “psychological pressure” and attempting to execute “Operation Lotus”.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said that under Kejriwal’s guidance, all candidates presented their ground reports, which indicated that AAP is set to win over 50 seats decisively, with a close contest on 7-8 seats.
The AAP established its dominance in Delhi’s political map routing both the BJP and Congress in 2015 Assembly polls, winning 67 of the 70 Assembly seats.
The party again formed its government in 2020, winning 62 seats and decimating the opposition BJP and Congress.
A victory for the AAP will establish Kejriwal’s dominance in Delhi and enhance his political stature nationally.
However, if the BJP wins the polls, it will not only be back to power in Delhi after a long gap of 27 years, but also succeed in breaking the spell of AAP and Kejriwal that it has been vying for a decade.
The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years in a row till 2013, is striving to stage a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two elections.
