LIVE: AAP wins MCD Election 2022; Kejriwal thanks Delhi

Arvind Kejriwal on AAP win in MCD election: "I thank the people of Delhi for this grand victory and many congratulations to all. Now all of us together have to make Delhi clean and beautiful."

"I will work day and night to meet your expectations," he told party workers.

इस शानदार जीत के लिए दिल्ली की जनता का शुक्रिया और सबको बहुत-बहुत बधाई। अब हम सबको मिलकर दिल्ली को साफ़-स्वच्छ और सुंदर बनाना है। https://t.co/SFkqmrAI6i

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal)

"We will have to work together. All candidates and parties should keep the politics aside and work for improving Delhi," he added.

MCD final tally:

AAP: 134
BJP: 104
Cong: 9
‍Others: 3
 

Taking to Twitter, Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia wrote in Hindi, "I express heartfelt gratitude to residents of Delhi for trusting Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi MCD and defeating the world's biggest and most negative party. The people of Delhi have handed victory to  hardcore honest and working Arvind Kejriwal."

"For us, this is not just a victory, it is a big responsibility," he said.

Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party has crossed the halfway mark in Delhi municipal elections. According to the State Election Commission, AAP has won 126 of 250 wards in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The BJP is yet to cross the 100-seat mark. BJP has won 97 wards as of now

AAP MP Raghav Chadha on MCD Election 2022 results: The people of Delhi have given BJP a befitting reply. People have voted for development and those who who work for it. Today, Delhi has swept aside the muck that BJP threw on Arvind Kejriwal. AAP will transform New Delhi into the most beautiful city in the world."

Results have been declared on 177 out of 250 wards. Take a look at the partywise tally:

AAP: 97
BJP: 75
Congress: 4
Independent: 1

State Election Commission says AAP has won 104 wards, nears majority mark of 126; BJP bags 83, Congress 5

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta tells media persons: "BJP contested well on issues & exposed lies-corruption of AAP. They had said BJP will get 20 seats & AAP will get 230. It's a neck-to-neck fight. Poll results could be anything. Final results are yet to come, but BJP is hopeful of a majority.

Results of 153 wards of the Delhi Municipal Elections have been declared so far. The result tally is as follows:

AAP: 83
BJP: 65
Congress: 4
Independent: 1

Results have been declared for 55 wards. Of these, the BJP has won 26 wards, AAP in 25, Congress in three and Independents have bagged one seat. 

Let's take a look at the latest trend

AAP: 132
BJP: 106
Congress: 10
Others: 2

More results are coming in. AAP has won on the Civil Lines ward. Overall, the BJP has won six while AAP has emerged victorious in four.

Let's take a look at the latest trend

AAP: 130
BJP: 110
Congress: 9
Others: 1

Latest counting trends show the AAP crossing the halfway mark of 125, and leading in 127 seats in Delhi MCD Polls. Trends also show the Congress hitting the double figure mark in the ward tally

Let's take a look at the latest trend

AAP: 127
BJP: 108
Congress: 10
Others: 5

The first election results are coming in. BJP has won two wards while AAP has won in one ward. BJP wins Mohan Garden and and Laxmi Nagar ward while AAP wins Daryaganj

take a look at the latest trend

AAP: 130
BJP: 107
Congress: 8
Others: 5

AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj told media persons: "We will emerge victorious in more than 180 seats. The trends will change. We have decked up our office, and as soon as trends change, we will celebrate. The BJP did not cite any achievement of their 15-year tenure in the MCD during the campaigning."

The latest counting trends show the AAP having a slender lead over the BJP. The AAP is seen as gaining in 70 wards, while the BJP is shedding 47 wards. 

Let's take a look at the latest trend

AAP: 121
BJP: 119
Congress: 7
Others: 3

Latest counting trends show the BJP having a slender lead over the AAP. The trends, at the moment, do not indicate a sweep as predicted by some pollsters. AAP leaders are in a huddle at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence.

Let's take a look at the latest trend

AAP: 119
BJP: 120
Congress: 7
Others: 0

Latest counting trends show the AAP has a slender lead over the BJP. The trends, at the moment, do not indicate a sweep as predicted by some pollsters

Let's take a look at the latest trend

AAP: 125
BJP: 119
Congress: 5
Others: 0

Latest counting trends now show the AAP taking a lead over the BJP while the Congress tally remains where it was when the votecount began

Let's take a look at the latest trend

AAP: 105
BJP: 95
Congress: 5
Others: 0

Early counting trends now indicate a close fight between the AAP and the BJP while the Congress seems to be barely in the contest

Let's take a look at the latest trend

AAP: 62
BJP: 57
Congress: 5
Others: 0
 

Early counting trends indicate the AAP gaining an advantage on at least 20 seats, most of which (13) were seats that were BJP-controlled. The Congress is shown to be leading on one seat

Let's take a look at the latest trends

AAP: 37
BJP: 25
Congress: 1
Others: 0

The counting of votes is underway.

There are 56,000 electronic voting machines in 42 designated strongrooms/counting centres. 

The counting of votes is being undertaken amid tight security. There is a three later security cordon, with the first two being manned by the Central Armed Police Force personnel and the third layer being supervised by Delhi Police personnel.

This was the first election held after the Centre Centre merged the three municipal corporations into MCD with a total of 250 wards.

To recall, in the 2017 municipal elections, the BJP had brushed aside both AAP and the Congress and won a massive 181 of 272 wards. The AAP had come a distant second with wins on 48 seats while the Congress managed to win 30 wards.

The polls for 250 wards were held on December 4. A total of 1,349 candidates were in the fray. Around 53 per cent voter turnout was witnessed.

As for the voting in the MCD Election 2022, the highest polling percentage (65.72) was recorded in Bakhtawarpur (ward number 5) while the lowest (33.74 per cent) was in Andrews Ganj (ward number 145).

The counting of votes will take place in 42 centres, which are located in Model Town, Shastri Park, Dwarka, Okhla, Mangolpuri, Pitampura, Yamuna Vihar, Mayur Vihar, Nand Nagari, and Alipur.

The Congress has rejected the exit polls, which suggested that the party would come up with its most dismal performance in the MCD elections 2022.

Citing internal surveys done by the party, Delhi Congress president Anil Chaudhary said that they are looking at winning 60-70 seats. 

Our party has done the groundwork. The exit poll surveys will be proven wrong very soon, he said.
 

A defeat in the MCD Election 2022 would bring to an end BJP's 15-year rule at the civic body. According to experts, the defeat would also dent the party's attempts to weaken the Kejriwal-led party's political dominance in Delhi and force the BJP to rethink its strategy in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2025 assembly elections.

Despite the exit polls predicting a massive victory for the AAP, the BJP is confident that the tide will turn in its favour as the counting of votes progresses. Exit polls, released on Monday, projected that the AAP could sweep the municipal elections by winning over 150 of the 250 municipal wards, with the BJP emerging as a distant second. The surveys also predicted further disappointment for the Congress party, which is expected to be reduced to single digits in the MCD.

Will the AAP score a massive victory, as predicted by the Exit Polls?

Will BJP's 15-year hold on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi end today?

These are some of the questions to which answers will be found when the counting of votes begins at 8 am for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections.