National capital Delhi is all set to witness the final outcome of the much-awaited and one of the most fiercely contested electoral battles in years with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Congress gearing up for the mega showdown today.
Counting of votes for the Delhi assembly polls is taking place to decide whether the AAP will come to power for a third term or the BJP will form a government in the national capital after 27 years.
Counting From 8 AM
The counting process for the high-stakes Delhi assembly polls is being conducted in 19 counting stations, spreading across 11 districts of the city. Shahdara, Central Delhi, East, South, and Southwest districts each have one counting station. The North, West, Northeast, and Southeast districts each have two counting stations, while the New Delhi and Northwest districts have three counting stations each.
According to Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Alice Vaz, a total of 5,000 personnel, including counting supervisors, counting assistants, micro-observers, and supporting staff trained for the process are deployed on Saturday to run the counting process smoothly.
In view of the fairness of the counting process, a random selection of five VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails) will be done in each assembly constituency.
What Did The Exit Polls Say?
Several exit polls have given the BJP an edge over the AAP, which has been ruling in Delhi since 2015. Only a few exit polls have predicted a clean sweep for the incumbent AAP government.
WeePreside's Delhi election 2025 exit poll paved the way for another AAP government. The poll projected 46-52 seats for AAP, 18-23 seats for BJP, and 0-1 for Congress. Journo Mirror's exit polls predict 45-48 seats for AAP, 18-20 for BJP, and 0-1 seat for the grand old Congress.
All the exit polls predicted that Congress is expected to win at not more than 3 seats.
AAP's Dominance In Delhi
Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP established its dominance in the political map of the national capital by bagging a sweeping victory in the 2015 Assembly polls, winning 67 of the 70 Assembly seats. In 2020, the party retained its dominance and formed its government onve again by winning 62 seats and decimating the opposition BJP and Congress.
A victory for the AAP will establish Kejriwal's dominance in Delhi and enhance his political stature nationally.
However, if the BJP wins the polls, it will not only be back to power in Delhi after a long gap of over 26 years, but also succeed in breaking the spell of AAP and Kejriwal that it has been vying for a decade.
The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years in a row till 2013, is striving to stage a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two elections.
Security Arrangements In Place
A three-tier security arrangement with 10,000 police personnel, including two paramilitary companies at each centre, has been put in place for the 19 counting centres.
"We have made robust security arrangements (for counting day). Only authorised personnel will be allowed inside the counting centres, where the use of mobile phones will be strictly prohibited," Special Commissioner of Police Devesh Chandra Srivastava told a press conference on securing arrangements for the counting day.
