Synopsis
Sandeep Dikshit, Congress candidate for New Delhi Assembly, reflects on the party's disappointing electoral outcome, admitting their failure to connect with voters. He expresses hope for a future turnaround, while the counting trends favor BJP and AAP.Key Takeaways
- Dikshit acknowledges Congress's failure to gain voter support.
- BJP leads significantly in the early trends of the election.
- Voters may have hesitated to support Congress due to doubts about its chances of winning.
- The contest remains tight between AAP and BJP in New Delhi.
- The election outcome will determine AAP's continued dominance or BJP's return.
New Delhi, Feb 8 (NationPress) Sandeep Dikshit, the Congress candidate for the New Delhi Assembly seat, expressed his initial thoughts on the party's underwhelming election results, admitting that the party failed to resonate with the people of Delhi, which he described as disheartening.
As the counting for the 70-member Assembly is ongoing, Congress appears to be absent from the leading positions, with the BJP surpassing the halfway mark by securing 41 seats, while AAP is ahead in 29 seats, based on early reports from the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In an interview with IANS, Dikshit stated, "We anticipated a vote share of 12-13 percent; however, we did not achieve this goal. Our intention was to establish Congress's presence in the hearts of the public, but we fell short, which is disappointing."
When asked about the reasons for Congress's failure to gain any seats, he commented, "We cannot pinpoint the exact reason at this moment. Perhaps voters were inclined to support Congress but hesitated, doubting our ability to win and form a government in Delhi, which may have influenced their decision not to vote for us."
The contest for the New Delhi Assembly seat has been a three-way race involving Dikshit, AAP national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and BJP's Parvesh Verma.
This constituency is experiencing a competitive battle between Kejriwal and Verma, yet Dikshit remains significantly behind in the count.
Dikshit remarked, "Kejriwal is leading by a narrow margin, but we are still awaiting results." He also noted that "the BJP is ahead in approximately 41 seats, indicating its clear path to forming a government here; however, we will have a clearer picture in about an hour."
The outcome of the Delhi Assembly election, to be announced today, will decide whether Arvind Kejriwal's AAP maintains its stronghold for a fourth consecutive term or if the BJP will reclaim power in the national capital after nearly 30 years.
Vote counting commenced at 8 am across all 70 constituencies. Numerous exit polls suggest that the BJP holds an advantage over the AAP, which has governed Delhi since 2015.
According to exit poll forecasts, the BJP is projected to win between 45 to 55 of Delhi's 70 seats, while the ruling AAP is expected to face substantial losses. Congress, which is hoping for improvements after failing to secure any seats in the last two elections, is likely to end up with just one seat.
