'Aap-da' has left Delhi: BJP's poster as party retakes capital after 27 years

By Prateek Chakraborty, New Delhi, Feb 8 (India Today): The BJP, which is set to dislodge the AAP and end its 27-year wait in Delhi, put out a poster today that read, 'In Delhi, the BJP is coming' (Dilli mein BJP aa rahi hain).

Trends from the Election Commission trends show the BJP ahead on over 45 seats while the ruling AAP was leading on over 20. The Congress, which drew a blank in the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, looked on course to secure a hat-trick of not opening its account again.

Top leaders from the AAP, including Arvind Kejriwal, and Manish Sisodia lost, while Saurabh Bhardwaj was trailing and appeared headed for a defeat. However, Chief Minister Atishi won from Kalkaji after a stiff challenge from her BJP rival Ramesh Bidhuri.

The AAP, which was eyeing a third consecutive term, was battling a wave of corruption allegations, as several of its top leaders, including Kejriwal, went to jail in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.

The Kejriwal-led party, which had a good debut in the 2013 Assembly polls, dominated in the next two elections in 2015 and 2020, winning 67 and 62 seats, respectively.

A majority of the exit polls, barring two, had predicted a BJP comeback in the national capital. The saffron party was out of power since 1998.

The BJP's dominant performance in the Assembly polls came after the saffron party swept all seven Lok Sabha seats in last year's parliamentary election. The AAP and Congress, which contested the election together, failed to win any seats.