Journalism of Courage
Leaders of both AAP and BJP Monday remained upbeat about assembly polls results, as they made arrangements for volunteers to make sure strongrooms were protected through the day.
Exit polls have predicted that AAP is set to return to power in the national capital. While the party won 67 out of 70 seats in 2015, most pollsters have predicted they will bag over 50 seats this time.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said their final tally will be more than 60 seats. “One exit poll has said we will get 68 seats. That is most accurate. We are sure we will come back to power with a very convincing majority,” he said.
Despite all exit polls predicting their loss, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said they will win at least 48 seats, and the huge turnout of voters after 3 pm must be taken into account: “Voting was slow in the morning, but we gave a call and people came out in large numbers to vote for the BJP. I have gone to several areas and seen the kind of support our party is getting…”
He said AAP is blaming EVMs as they know they are losing and want something to blame for it.
AAP’s Singh, meanwhile, said they had not got any adverse report from outside the strongrooms: “Everything is calm.”
BJP leaders have maintained that they will perform better than the exit polls have predicted, with one leader putting up a constituency-wise analysis of each seat on Twitter.
Neelkant Bakshi, co-media incharge in Delhi BJP, said the party will win 47 seats. He mentioned bad roads, dirty water and weak transport infrastructure as reasons for BJP’s anticipated victory in several seats. However, some leaders admitted in private that the party would not be able to perform as well as it hoped, as Congress had shown no resurgence. “We will comfortably retain our vote bank and might get more than 20 seats, but AAP looks better placed,” said a senior leader.
Unlike in 2015, when the BJP had ordered several kilograms of sweets anticipating a win, no arrangements have been made this time.
