NEW DELHI: Millions in the Indian capital voted Saturday in a key regionalelection, with exit polls suggesting a big defeat for right-wing PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.
Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was a distant secondbehind the upstart Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, led by formertax inspector Arvind Kejriwal, according to exit polls released aftervoting ended.
An average of nine exit polls showed Kejriwal´s party was likely to win 52out of 70 seats.
“We are winning by a huge margin,” tweeted Manish Sisodia, the deputy chiefminister of Delhi.
Federal Home Minister Amit Shah, who had campaigned vigorously for BJPhighlighting his tough stance on national security, called a meeting ofparty members late Saturday.
Earlier in the day long lines had formed outside New Delhi polling stationsamid heavy security as a weeks-old protest by women against a newcitizenship law took centre stage.
In an often vitriolic election campaign, Modi and other BJP leaders hadslammed opponents of the law who deem it anti-Muslim.
The BJP had been seeking to oust Kejriwal, the capital´s chief ministerwhose party took a record 67 of 70 Delhi assembly seats in 2015.
While Kejriwal focused on local issues including the heavily subsidisedelectricity, water and healthcare he introduced, BJP leaders sought to turnthe vote into a referendum on the women´s protest.
Hundreds have been blocking a main road through Shaheen Bagh district sinceDecember 15 in protest against legislation that offers a fast-track toIndian nationality for persecuted religious minorities from neighbouringcountries but excludes Muslims.
On the eve of the elections, the BJP sent out messages telling people tovote for the party if they wanted an end to the Shaheen Bagh demonstration.
With the BJP on the back foot after failing in recent state elections inMaharashtra and Jharkhand, analysts said the Delhi result will be a keytest of opinion on national issues.Protest referendum
Read Top Stories
Near the women´s protest site, food company senior executive Maroof Ahmadsaid the “BJP has only two agendas — Shaheen Bagh and Pakistan. They havenothing else to talk about.”
“GDP is falling, the economy is in a mess and they are only bothered abouttemples and mosques,” he added.
But others lined up behind the prime minister.
In the affluent Jangpura neighbourhood, flower garlands and balloonsdecorated the polling station as financial consultant Vinod Kumar came tovote.
“I am not biased towards any political party but I don´t endorse theShaheen Bagh protest. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru believed in andsupported the citizenship law,” he said referring to India´s reveredindependence leaders.
Thousands of extra security officers were on duty for the election with alarge contingent at five polling stations near the Shaheen Bagh protest.
Women´s safety has increasingly become an issue in Delhi since a 2012 gangrape murder made international headlines.
In a bid to persuade more females to vote, authorities set up dozens ofwomen-only “pink polling booths” across the capital.
“I still don´t feel safe in Delhi, a lot more must be done,” said ShwetaLaxmi.
More than 14 million people were eligible to take part in Saturday´s vote.The results will be announced Tuesday. – APP / AFP
