New Delhi, India (BBN)-The Delhi voter turnout was reported to be a record 67.08 percent as against 65.63 percent in 2013, where nearly 1.33 crore voters exercised their franchise in Delhi assembly election.
The six exit poll reports, including the last one from Chanakya’s, have given a clear edge to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the BJP, reports Firstpost.com.
The exit poll report of Chanakya has predicted 42-48 seats for AAP.
If all these exit-polls are to be believed, then the AAP is clearly ahead of its strongest competitor BJP in Delhi Election 2015.
Meanwhile, the BJP seems to have got into back foot, with the party’s spokesperson Sambit Patra telling a news channel, “If the need arises, we’ll positively go for introspection.”
Though the BJP’s chief ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi in her post-poll press conference said, “We should wait and not take these exit-poll figures as final. Wait till February 10.”
NOW, A FEW QUESTIONS THAT THE AAM AADMI (COMMON MAN) WOULD LIKE TO KNOW
Can all the exit-polls go wrong and is there a possibility of complete reversal, with the BJP getting a thumping majority?
Kiran Bedi’s claim during her press conference that between 3 and 6 pm, where maximum turnout of voters happened, 100 percent voting would go in BJP’s favour. On what grounds?
And, finally, was the induction of Kiran Bedi in the BJP and naming her as the future CM- a bad move?
Social scientist Shiv Vishvanathan opines with a positive note, “The BJP did well, the AAP did better. But, after Bedi came, a lot of negativity emerged within the BJP and that’s worrying.”
Though the voter turnout was slow due to the chill in the air from 7:00am to 10:00am, after 1:00pm it picked up.
By at 5:00pm the turnout touched 63 percent against 51.50 percent at 3:00pm.
In between 2:00pm to 4:00pm- the period that witnessed maximum voting- a large section belonging to slums, unorganized colonies, labourers, autowallahs and from the lower economic group- believed to be AAP’s major vote bank came out in large numbers.
Is Bedi’s claim during the press conference that “100 percent voting could go in BJP’s favour during this period” acceptable?
“How can she claim with such confidence that all voted for the BJP?” questioned AAP’s senior leader and chief spokesperson Yogendra Yadav.
“No doubt, the BJP has a strong cadre, but the picture can dramatically change,” he added.
While, the RSS cadre pushed till the last moment, the AAP volunteers equally mobilized the voters to polling booths.
“I was surprised to see how AAP volunteers outside my polling booth monitored its voters. When, I reached late, they handed me the slip and said they had been waiting for me,” said Manjula, a South Delhi voter.
Even the assembly seats in Chandni Chowk constituency like Matia-Mahal, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, where there is a sizeable Muslim population, voted in large number between 2:00and 5:00pm.
As a result, the turnout of the pockets having these segments of voters crossed 60 percent mark.
“Besides general population, nearly a thousand sex workers from GB Road, many first timers, voted today after 2:00pm,” Shahzad Ahmad, who has been monitoring this particular segment said.
As per the Election Commission’s numbers, Northeast Delhi reported the highest voter turnout of 66.37percent. East Delhi 64.67 percent, New Delhi 59.29 percent and North Delhi 65.56 percent.
The polling percentage in Northwest Delhi was 62.1 percent, Southwest Delhi recorded 63.66 percent and West Delhi 64.48 percent.
Central Delhi recorded 64.66 percent, whereas the lowest was in South Delhi with 61.7 percent.
A senior BJP member, who chose to remain anonymous, told Firstpost, “AAP chose to campaign in a decent manner, without using abusive language.
What AAP did in its 49-day tenure, unfortunately the BJP couldn’t in eight months despite being in power at the Centre. This caught common man’s attention and people gradually started liking the AAP.”
The member further added, “Induction of Kiran Bedi didn’t cause that much anger than her being named as CM nominee. The party workers and members left with no option, and in a hush-hush manner they said what could be done as it was Modi sahab’s decision. In my last 20 years, I’ve seen the party suddenly gets into an over- confident mode during Delhi elections and almost thinks that they would be forming the government. Fault lies here and now exit-poll results are speaking in that direction.”
“We didn’t resort to any kind of acrimony and name calling, and chose to talk about the problems and issues of the common man,” said AAP leader Ashish Khetan.
An unusual scene that both the media and the voters witnessed at a polling booth in BK Dutt Colony, Aliganj was when Arvind Kejriwal came out after casting his vote at SGTB Khalsa Girls Senior Secondary School.
His popularity can be judged by the fact that nearly 500 people were waiting outside the booth to have a glimpse of him.
The rooftops and balconies of the flats adjoining the school were full of people waving at him and raising slogans.
There was a situation of a virtual stampede near the booth and the security forces had to take him out of the back door.
"I'm fully confident. We'll make it. We've got immense support from Delhi voters," Kejriwal told Firstpost on his way out of the booth.
"The overwhelming welcome he has received tells that he's already a winner,” remarked Jagdish Gherna, a senior citizen and resident of BK Dutt colony.
According to political analysts, the Congress knowing that it would again face a similar result like in 2013, decided to silently back AAP to stop the Modi juggernaut.
“Our internal survey projected 50 seats for AAP, which was criticized. Even if this figure comes down, it just can’t go below 40-42. And that’s what all the exit-poll results are showing. Let’s wait for the final results, and the AAP will form government,” remarked AAP’s senior member Radhakrishnan TR Aiyyer.
BBN/SK/AD-8Feb15-4:10pm (BST)