New Delhi: As counting begins for the Delhi Assembly elections, early trends show top AAP leaders including Chief Minister Atishi and Manish Sisodia trailing from their respective seats, while the party’s National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal is leading.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has governed Delhi for over a decade, is facing significant challenges in the current election results.
Arvind Kejriwal, contesting from the New Delhi Assembly constituency, was initially trailing behind the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Parvesh Verma but latest trends showed he is leading.
Manish Sisodia, former education minister of Delhi, is behind in Jangpura, while Chief Minister Atishi is trailing the BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri in Kalkaji.
Despite these setbacks, some AAP leaders are maintaining leads in their constituencies. Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj is leading in Greater Kailash, and Cabinet colleague Gopal Rai is ahead in Babarpur. Senior party leader Durgesh Pathak, contesting from Rajinder Nagar, is also leading.
However, other prominent AAP figures are facing difficulties. Amanatullah Khan, a two-time MLA from Okhla, is trailing in his seat. Satyendar Jain, who is out on bail in a money laundering case, is behind in Shakur Basti.
Avadh Ojha, an IAS exam coach who joined the AAP ahead of the elections, is trailing in Patparganj, the former seat of Sisodia. Somnath Bharti, contesting from Malviya Nagar, is also behind.
The election, held on February 5 to elect members to the 70-seat Assembly, has been a battleground between the AAP’s ‘Delhi model’ of governance and the BJP’s aggressive campaign focussing on corruption allegations against AAP leaders.
Chief Minister Atishi expressed confidence this morning, stating that the AAP will return to power and called the election a battle between good and evil. Her Cabinet colleague Saurabh Bharadwaj predicted that the AAP would win at least 40-45 seats.
The BJP had intensified its efforts to regain control of Delhi.
As the counting progresses, the final outcome remains uncertain. The election results will determine whether AAP can overcome the early setbacks and retain power, or if the BJP will succeed in its bid to govern the national Capital.
(IANS)
