The AAP had scored an overwhelming victory in the 2015 polls, winning 67 seats and reducing the BJP to three. (Photo Credit: PTI file)
New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is set to make a hat-trick as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is predicted to register a big victory in the Assembly Elections by most exit polls. Polling for the 70 seats of Delhi assembly began at 8 am on Saturday amid tight security. The votes will be counted on February 11. Delhi recorded a voter turnout of 57.06 per cent till 6 pm, even as polling at some booths was underway and the figure is likely to rise, Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh said on Saturday. Polling officially ends at 6 pm.
The Times Now-Ipsos exit polls predicted that Arvind Kejriwal will retain his chair with the AAP winning 44 seats against 26 for the BJP. The Republic-Jan ki Baat survey gave the AAP 48-61 seats and the BJP 9-21 seats.
The TV9 Bharatvarsh-Cicero predicted 54 seats for the AAP, 15 for the BJP and one for the Congress. The exit polls predicted little improvement in the fortunes of the Congress which could not bag any seat in the 2015 polls.
Sudarshan News’s exit poll predicted that the AAP is set to win 40-45 seats, the BJP and alliance may secure 24-28 seats, while News X-Neta projected 53-57 seats for the AAP, 11-17 seats for the BJP and alliance and 0 for the Congress.
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Overall, the AAP is predicted to win 53 seats, the BJP 16 seats and the Congress 1 seat.
| Source | AAP | BJP+ | Cong+ |
| Times Now IPSOS Exit Poll | 44 | 26 | 0 |
| Republic TV-Jan ki Baat Exit Poll | 48-61 | 9-21 | 0-1 |
| TV9 Bharatvarsh-Cicero Exit Poll | 54 | 15 | 1 |
| ABP Exit Poll | 49-63 | 5-19 | 0-4 |
| India Today-Axis Exit Poll | 50-58 | 2-10 | 0 |
The AAP had scored an overwhelming victory in the 2015 polls, winning 67 seats and reducing the BJP to three.
The polling was smooth and police maintained a strict vigil in sensitive areas. Delhi Police personnel, along with paramilitary force, conducted flag marches in sensitive areas of northeast Delhi, Shahdara and east Delhi.
Over 1.47 crore people are eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls that will decide the fate of 672 candidates in 70 assembly constituencies which are seeing a triangular contest among the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), opposition BJP and the Congress.
In the 2015 assembly elections, the national capital had recorded a voter turnout of 67.08 per cent. Of the 11 districts, northeast recorded highest 50.75 per cent of voting, while New Delhi recorded 40.63 per cent, the lowest.
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There were long queues outside some polling booths in areas dominated by minorities such as Jaffrabad, Shaheen Bagh, Seelampur and Jamia Nagar. Kejriwal voted at the Rajpur Transport Authority polling station in the Civil Lines area.
Kejriwal, who is contesting the polls from the New Delhi constituency, was accompanied by his wife Sunita and son Pulkit. Before leaving for voting, he sought his parents’ blessings.
(With PTI inputs)
