The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was leading in Delhi’s bitterly contested state election, racing ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to return to power in the national capital.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP was leading in 56 of the 70 seats in the assembly and the BJP in 14, said the Election Commission’s website after counting of votes began at 8am Tuesday. The Congress party, which ruled Delhi for 15 years before being voted in 2013, was yet to open its tally.
If AAP retains power, it will be the third straight electoral setback for the BJP after losing Jharkhand and Maharashtra elections last year. Delhi recorded a voter turnout of 62.59 per cent when elections were held on Saturday, after an acrimonious campaign and with tension high after three incidents of gunfire at or near protest sites in four days.