Synopsis
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently leading in 11 out of the 15 Assembly seats in South Delhi, showing strong early trends against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as counting continues in the national capital.Key Takeaways
- BJP leads in 11 out of 15 Assembly seats in South Delhi.
- Key constituencies include Bijwasan, Kalkaji, and Malviya Nagar.
- Prominent candidates from BJP are performing well.
- Current trends indicate a significant shift from the 2020 elections.
- Opposition party AAP is facing a strong comeback challenge.
New Delhi, Feb 8 (NationPress) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently in the lead for 11 out of the 15 Assembly seats in South Delhi, as preliminary counting trends indicate a substantial advance over the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) within the national capital.
These 15 Assembly seats represent the 10 segments of the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, including New Delhi, Greater Kailash, RK Puram, Malviya Nagar, and Kasturba Nagar.
The BJP is reported to be ahead in numerous constituencies, such as Bijwasan, Chhatarpur, Kalkaji, RK Puram, Kasturba Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Palam, and Malviya Nagar.
Prominent candidates include BJP representatives Kailash Gahlot from Bijwasan, Ramesh Bidhuri from Kalkaji, Sikha Rai from Greater Kailash, Anil Kumar from RK Puram, Neeraj Basoya from Kasturba Nagar, and Satish Upadhyay from Malviya Nagar, all reportedly in the lead.
Among the key areas, Kalkaji stands out, where the BJP is advancing while Chief Minister Atishi, representing the AAP, faces off against former BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress candidate Alka Lamba.
An important contest is also occurring in Greater Kailash, historically a stronghold for AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, where the AAP finds itself trailing. Meanwhile, Malviya Nagar, represented by AAP leader Somnath Bharati, appears to be leaning toward the BJP this time.
In the New Delhi constituency, where AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal is contesting, the competition has evolved into a seesaw battle; Kejriwal, who was initially behind, has now regained the lead.
Another significant contender in South Delhi is former minister Kailash Gahlot, running from the Bijwasan seat. Gahlot, a former prominent figure in AAP, switched to the BJP last year, citing unfulfilled commitments from the Arvind Kejriwal administration.
In the 2020 Assembly elections, the AAP secured 14 out of these 15 seats, making the current setback for the AAP in South Delhi particularly notable against the backdrop of the BJP's substantial gains in the city.
By 10 AM, two hours into the counting process, the BJP was leading in 44 out of 70 seats, while the AAP was lagging with leads in just 25 seats. Current trends suggest that the BJP has exceeded 40 seats, surpassing the halfway threshold.
After experiencing a reduction to single-digit seat totals in the 2015 and 2020 elections, the opposition party is making a robust comeback, achieving significant gains in the capital as it confidently moves toward victory.
