Delhi civic body polls see 54% turnout
Exit polls predict a BJP sweep, with AAP and Congress left competing for the second spot
: The BJP is likely to retain the Capital’s three municipal corporations, exit polls predicted after Sunday’s vote that registered a turnout of about 53.6% — slightly higher than in the city’s 2012 civic elections.
The counting is on April 26, but the outcome is billed to have a wider impact on the city’s politics, rather than merely being restricted to which party captures power at the Civic Centre, the municipal headquarters.
After more than half of the city’s 13.2 million voters cast their vote, pollsters predicted a BJP win and a neck-and-neck fight between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress for the second spot.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s party made all efforts to unseat the BJP, which have been ruling the east, north and south municipal corporations for the past decade. But the AAP, ruling Delhi after winning 67 of the 70 assembly seats in the 2015 state elections, faced setbacks ahead of the high-stakes municipal polls.
The BJP is likely to retain the Capital’s three municipal corporations, exit polls predicted after Sunday’s vote that registered a turnout of about 53.6% — slightly higher than in the city’s 2012 civic elections.
The counting is on April 26, but the outcome is billed to have a wider impact on the city’s politics, rather than merely being restricted to which party captures power at the Civic Centre, the municipal headquarters.
After more than half of the city’s 13.2 million voters cast their vote, pollsters predicted a BJP win and a neck-and-neck fight between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress for the second spot.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s party made all efforts to unseat the BJP, which have been ruling the east, north and south municipal corporations for the past decade.
But the AAP, ruling Delhi after winning 67 of the 70 assembly seats in the 2015 state elections, faced setbacks ahead of the high-stakes municipal polls.
For the Congress — out of power at the Centre, city and its civic agencies — the polls were a platform to restore its political relevance in its former stronghold.
Voting for all but two of the 272 seats were held across the three corporations. Election was cancelled in Maujpur ward in the east and Sarai Pipal Thala in the north because of the death of a candidate in each. Bypolls will be held in May, state election commission officials said.
Of the three corporations, the east recorded the highest turnout of 55%, followed by the north’s 54% and the south’s 50%.
“We were targeting a turnout of 60%. We made all efforts to encourage the voters, but the heat seems to have pulled down the numbers. But even 54% is a good turnout,” state election commissioner SK Srivastava said.
By the high standard set by the mercury this season, the city was comparatively cooler at 39.14 degrees Celsius on Sunday. New Delhi has been recording above-40 temperatures this April.
We were targeting a turnout of 60%. We made all efforts to encourage the voters, but the heat seems to have pulled down the numbers. But even 54% is a good turnout
SK SRIVASTAVA , state election commissioner