Race for the right to rule Delhi was undeniably the first real test for the Narendra Modi government. Exit polls had predicted an AAP win but the victory the people handed out to the underdog ‘anarchist’ Arwind Kejriwaal and his gang is certainly unparalleled and arguably way beyond even the wildest dreams of many ardent AAP supporters.
AAP's rise to power in Delhi - as it happened:
4.45pm AAP trashes BJP, wins 67 seats
Aam Admi party (AAP) scored a landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly elections by winning 67 of the 70 seats. Bharatiya Janata Party was left with only three seats while Congress was virtually decimated, failing to win even a single seat in an election billed by many as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The AAP's feat of near total domination was rarely achieved in any state in the past, point out experts.
Winners and losers
Delhi Congress chief Lovely resigns
Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely tendered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi after taking moral responsibility for the party's worst-ever performance in the Assembly elections, reports say.
Alka Lamba
AAP's Alka Lamba won from Chandni Chowk constituency, defeating BJP’s Suman Kumar Gupta by more than 18,000 votes.
Newly elected AAP candidate Alka Lamba comes out after attending the party legislative party meeting in New Delhi
Actress Gul Panag speaks to media
AAP leader and actress Gul Panag speaks to media about the party's victory in the Delhi Assembly polls, at Patel Nagar in New Delhi on Tuesday.(PTI)
Final position
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal won the prestigious New Delhi seat by a margin of over 31,500 votes defeating the BJP rival Nupur Sharma. Former Minister and Congress veteran Kiran Walia came a poor third with 4,700 votes and lost her deposit.
The BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi was defeated by more than 2,000 votes in the party stronghold of Krishna Nagar which was long held by BJP veteran Harsh Vardhan.
BJP leader Kiran Bedi addresses a press conference at her residence in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI)
Congress's CM candidate Ajay Maken also suffered a crushing defeat by a margin of over 50,000 votes against AAP’s Som Dutt in Sadar Bazar and lost his deposit. Maken resigned as Congress General Secretary taking responsibility for the debacle.
4.00pm AAP bags 66, one more to go
AAP has completed its domination of Delhi Assembly elections with 66 of the 69 results declared so far. BJP has managed to get only three seats, a dismal show compared to last time when the party bagged 29 seats. Counting is in progress for the last remaining seat Uttam Nagar where Aam Admi candidate Naresh Balyan is leading his nearest rival BJP’s Pawan Sharma by about 30,000 votes.
One of Three
BJP leader Jagdish Pradhan celebrates his win in the Delhi Assembly polls, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI)
3.20pm 'Delhi poll referendum on Modi, Bihar next'
Senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar said the poll outcome in the national capital was a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserted that the same blow would be given to the saffron party in Bihar.
"Delhi election results indeed is a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Delhi is the heart of the country so it reflects the mood of the country," Kumar told reporters.
A Modi lookalike at the BJP HQ at Ashoka Road in New Delhi on Tuesday.
3.05pm Latest party position in Delhi Assembly Elections:
- Results declared: 67
- Aam Aadmi Party: 64
- BJP: 3
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Aam Admi Party leading in 3 seats
1.37pm: AAP wins 53 seats, leads in 14
Of the 56 results declared so far, Aam Admi Party has won 53. The party is leading in all 14 seats results of which are yet to be declared . BJP has won 3 seats.
1.10pm: AAP bags 48 seats, leading in 19
AAP has so far won 48 seats and is leading in 19 others out of 70 seats, making a spectacular come back to power nearly a year after its government had quit on the Lokpal Bill issue.
The BJP won two seats and was leading in another while Congress drew a blank.
Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Somnath Bharti, Gopal Rai, Rakhi Birla, Saurabh Bhardwaj and all other prominent AAP leaders emerged victorious.
Almost all senior BJP leaders including its Chief Ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi lost the polls. The only saving grace for the BJP was victory of its former state unit president Vijender Gupta who won from Rohini.
12.47pm: Kejriwal wins New Delhi while Kiran Bedi lost in BJP bastion
AAP chief won from the posh New Delhi Assembly constituency while BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi lost from the Krishna Nagar constituency.
Kejriwal won the New Delhi seat with a margin of 31,583 votes defeating BJP's Nupur Sharma while Congress' former minister Kiran Walia was at the third position.
AAP candidate from Krishna Nagar, S K Bagga defeated Kiran Bedi by 2277 votes.
While AAP candidate from Janakpuri, Rajesh Rishi defeated BJP stalwart Jagdish Mukhi by a margin of over 25,000 votes, former DUSU president and AAP candidate Alka Lamba won from the Chandni Chowk seat defeating her nearest rival BJP's Suman Kumar Gupta by more than 18,287 votes.
12.30pm Congress decimated
Results for 41 seats out now. AAP has won 39 of them with distant – and only – challenger BJP trailing way behind with 2 seats. Congress is nowhere in the picture.
AAP supporters watching the Delhi assembly elections result on a giant screen at party office in Amritsar on Tuesday.
12.26pm It was an anti-BJP vote in Delhi: Kerala CM
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the results in Delhi should be seen as a vote against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the centre.
"The traditional Congress vote has gone to the AAP and what happened was there was a strong anti-BJP wave in Delhi," said Chandy, who had undertaken a day-long campaign for the Congress party in places where there was a sizeable Keralite population.
12.21: Kejriwal to take oath on February 14
Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal will take oath as Delhi chief minister on February 14 at the Ramlila grounds - party official.
12.13pm Kejriwal thanks wife ‘for always being there’
AAP chief Arvind Kejirwal thanked his wife Sunita with a warm hug "for always being there".
Kejriwal had met Sunita at the National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie during their training period after both of them qualified for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).
As the former Delhi Chief Minister spoke to party workers for the first after the staggering victory of his party, an ecstatic Sunita, who is an IRS officer, quietly stood by his side.
Thank u Sunita for always being there "@rsaraf007: Sunita Kejriwal and @ArvindKejriwal first pics after winning pic.twitter.com/eDLxfxKMbd"— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 10, 2015
11.52 am : AAP projected to win 67 seats
Of the 19 results that have been declared officially by Election Commission of India, Aam Admi Party has secured 28. BJP is way behind with 2 seats. AAP is leading in another 41 constituencies at the moment, according to latest ECI figures.
11.40: Bedi loses in Krishna Nagar
Kiran Bedi, BJP’s chief ministerial candidate in Delhi assembly elections, loses from Krishna Nagar constituency.
11.36: Latest party-wise results from ECI
#Delhi Polls: Latest results from election commission of #India http://t.co/TAJBOhzont pic.twitter.com/yrhpLxg5Gx— Gulf News (@gulf_news) February 10, 2015
11.05am: Omar congratulates AAP
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today congratulated AAP for its performance in Delhi Assembly polls, saying there was a lesson for Congress that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP were not unbeatable.
"Wow, well done #Delhi & well done @AamAadmiParty.Good luck to @ArvindKejriwal for the next 5 years," the National Conference Working President tweeted.
"If there is lesson for the #Congress in this it is that Modi & BJP aren't unbeatable if you take the fight to them, don't wait for mistakes," he added.\
On the political deadlock in Jammu and Kashmir, the former chief minister said the BJP and the PDP should now form the government in the state.
10.22am Maken quits after Congress debacle in Delhi
Congress' chief ministerial aspirant Ajay Maken Tuesday quit as the party's general secretary after it suffered a rout in the Delhi assembly election.
Maken and all other 69 candidates of the Congress were defeated in the Saturday ballot. He had said that he would resign from the party post if he lost from his Sadar Bazar constituency.
I congratulate Arvind Kejriwal and his party for massive victory in Delhi. Wish him all the best for the future!— Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) February 10, 2015
"I take responsibility for the results and have decided to resign as general secretary of the Congress," he said.
10.10am: Kiran Bedi congratulates Kejriwal
Full marks to Arvind. Congratulations. Now take Delhi to the heights it belongs to. Make it a world class city..— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) February 10, 2015
10.08am: India PM Modi concedes defeat in Delhi state election
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi conceded defeat on Tuesday in Delhi state elections after vote counting showed anti-corruption campaigner Arvind Kejriwal's party heading for a landslide victory.
Spoke to @ArvindKejriwal & congratulated him on the win. Assured him Centre's complete support in the development of Delhi.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 10, 2015
"Spoke to @ArvindKejriwal & congratulated him on the win.
Assured him Centre's complete support in the development of Delhi," Modi said in a tweet.
09.17am: Kejriwal leads in New Delhi
Trend from New Delhi round 4: AAP's Arvind Kejriwal: 16488, BJP's Nupur Sharma: 5542, Congress's: Kiran Walia: 1285
9.08: AAp leads in 62 seats
Aam Admi Party continues to extend its lead over rivals. Trends are now available for all the 70 seats. AAP leads in 62 seats; BJP in 7 seats. Others - 1
9.02: AAP extends lead, Congress vanishes
Delhi election result trends: Aam Admi Party extends lead in 59 seats; BJP 10 seats; Indian National Lok Dal 1.Congres loses early lead in one consistuency.
8.15am: AAP surges ahead
The Aam Aadmi Party leads in 57 seats followed by BJP in 12 seats in early trends as officials Tuesday counted the votes polled in the 70-member Delhi assembly election. Congress is heading to one of its worst debacle in Delhi with lead in just one seat as early trends show.
Indian election officials open a Electronic Voting Machine at a vote counting centre in New Delhi on February 10, 2015. (AFP)
Aam Aadmi Party leaders Manish Sisodia and Somnath Bharti, who were ministers in the Arvind Kejriwal government, forged ahead of their rivals, election officials said.
Three other AAP candidates were also on the winning track.
BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi and Congress veteran A.K. Walia also forged ahead of their rivals.
Exit polls have predicted a win for the AAP, which ruled Delhi for 49 days until Kejriwal resigned as chief minister in February 2014.
Earlier, Kejriwal tweeted: "All the very best Delhiites. Do pray. Prayers are very powerful."
Over 67 per cent of the 13.3 million electorate voted Saturday
- With inputs from Agencies
