Delhi elections: BJP upbeat about win; AAP, Cong reject exit polls, flay EC
Even though BJP says anti-incumbency and corruption charges will lead to AAP government’s fall, the latter is confident of a victory
The acrimony and exchange of diatribes by political parties, witnessed during campaigning and on the day of voting for the Delhi Assembly elections, refuse to die down as a new commotion has been triggered by the exit polls’ results which predict an edge for the BJP.
While the BJP is buoyant of breaking its 27-year-old jinx in Delhi, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has outright rejected the exit poll predictions; the Congress, which expects to win more seats than the exit polls predict, has questioned the impartiality of those conducting these surveys.
Meanwhile, a great part of the Opposition ire has been directed towards the Election Commission (EC) which has been accused of being partial towards the BJP.
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AAP rejects exit poll predictions
“Let the exit polls say what they want to. The Delhi election is a direct contest between the AAP and the BJP, and the AAP is going to win the polls. The role of Election Commission is questionable, it is biased and tilted towards the BJP,” Dinesh Mohaniya, senior AAP leader and MLA told The Federal.
The AAP leadership was the first to reject the exit poll predictions and raised questions on the authenticity and background of the people involved in carrying out the surveys.
EC has lost its independence: Congress
While senior AAP leaders have also questioned the role of the EC, they have been seconded by the Congress.
“We have very little faith in these exit polls because I feel the Congress will do better that what the exit polls predict. However, the EC’s role is also questionable because the actions taken by it suggested that it was biased towards the BJP. It has lost its independence,” PL Punia, member of the Central Election Committee of Congress, told The Federal.
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SP’s protest against EC over Milkipur bypoll
Alleging large-scale rigging by the ruling BJP in the Milkipur bypolls the Samajwadi Party (SP) has accused the EC of not performing its duty despite “overwhelming evidence of foul play”.
On Thursday, SP MPs staged a protest against the EC in the Lok Sabha. Speaking to reporters, party chief Akhilesh Yadav said SP members were threatened by the senior superintendent of police as well as junior officials in Ayodhya during the polls.
Milkipur, which falls in Ayodhya district comes under the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency which the BJP lost to SP in the 2024 General Elections, just months after the consecration of the Ram Temple. The by-elections to Milkipur was a prestige battle between the BJP and the SP because of its connection to Ayodhya.
“This is not the first time we have accused the EC of bias and for working for the benefit of the BJP. We are serious in our allegation that the EC is favourable towards the BJP. It is not just about the Milkipur constituency. Look at the byelections in Uttar Pradesh and the biased role of the EC will be clear. The BJP uses EC and state power during the elections,” Abbas Haider, SP’s national spokesperson told The Federal.
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‘EC must prove its innocence now’
Political analysts say after facing repeated allegations of bias, the onus is now on EC to prove that it is independent of any political affiliations.
“This is a very crucial issue because all opposition parties have unanimously questioned the role of EC. It is now up to EC to prove its independence, and it must also prove that it does not get influenced in any way possible,” Abhay Dubey, author and professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Delhi, told The Federal.
BJP waits and watches
Even though the exit polls predictions have injected new confidence into the BJP, which had been out of power in Delhi for nearly three decades, its leaders are wary not to jump the gun.
Senior party leaders say the 10-year-long anti-incumbency would play a decisive role against the AAP.
Also read: Delhi polls | 'Deliberate pressure tactics': EC hits back at AAP
The BJP has also held at least two review meetings since the completion of polling in Delhi while its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has held review meetings to take the feedback of its ground workers.
“The Delhi election is about anti-incumbency, and false promises of the AAP. The party has been facing corruption allegations and the mood in Delhi is for a change. We are not banking on the predictions of the exit polls, but it is our own feedback that gives us confidence that our party is going to form the government,” RP Singh, national spokesperson of the BJP, told The Federal.
