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NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely heading for a likelydefeat in the New Delhi state elections, exit polls suggests as millions inthe Indian capital turned out to vote in a key regional election onSaturday.
BJP was a distant second behind the upstart Aam Aadmi Party, or CommonMan’s Party, led by former tax inspector Arvind Kejriwal, according to exitpolls released after voting ended.
An average of nine exit polls showed Kejriwal’s party was likely to win 52out of 70 seats.
Since coming into power for a second time in May 2019, BJP has lost controlof two key states, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
“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.
On Saturday long lines had formed outside New Delhi polling stations amidheavy security as a weeks-old protest by women against a new citizenshiplaw took centrestage.
In an often vitriolic election campaign, Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi and other BJP leaders had slammed opponents of the law who deem itanti-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.
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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
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
