Delhi civic polls: ‘Indebted to citizens,’ says Arvind Kejriwal as AAP wins majority

6.36 pm: Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha says that the results of the Delhi civic polls point to the future direction of national politics, according to India Today.

“It [national politics] is becoming a contest between the AAP and BJP, and between Kejriwal and Modi,” he says.

6.33 pm: Congress leader Neeraj Mishra says that the party accepts the mandate of the voters of Delhi, according to NDTV. He, however, said that over 35% of the Aam Aadmi Party’s candidates were former Congress leaders.

“Being a hyperlocal election, this factor has also worked in,” Mishra says.

4.33 pm: The chief of the BJP’s Delhi unit Adesh Gupta says the AAP’s claims that it would win over 220 wards in the civic polls were proven false, News24 reports. “The people have not completely supported the AAP, they have supported us also,” he said.

4.25 pm: Arvind Kejriwal says he congratulates all winning candidates, including those from the BJP and Congress. “Politics is now over,” he says. “Now, everyone should work together. We hope for the prime minister’s blessings and the Centre’s co-operation as well.”

4.22 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, addressing a rally after the Aam Aadmi Party’s victory, thanks the citizens of the National Capital for his party’s victory.

“At first, people gave us the responsibility of fixing schools and hospitals, and we did that,” Kejriwal says. “Now, Delhi has given its son the responsibility to ensure cleanliness...I will be indebted to the people of Delhi.”

3.22 pm: Final results of the 250-ward Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections:

In terms of vote share, the Aam Aadmi Party got 42.05%, while the Bharatiya Janata Party got 39.09%.

3.02 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal thanks the voters while addressing a gathering of the Aam Aadmi Party supporters, reports ANI.

2.58 pm: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia thanks voters of Delhi after Aam Aadmi Party’s victory in the city’s civic polls.

“You have defeated the world’s biggest and most negative political party and ensured victory for the honest and efficient Arvind Kejriwal,” Sisodia writes in a tweet. “This is not just a win for us, but a responsibility as well.”

2.53 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other party leaders address supporters after winning the Delhi civic polls.

2.38 pm: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal is expected to address the media soon, reports PTI.

2.35 pm: Buoyed by the Aam Aadmi Party’s win in the Delhi civic polls, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann says that the results of the Gujarat Assembly elections will surprise everyone, reports ANI.

The AAP is in a three-way fight with the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat. The state election results will be announced on Thursday.

2.30 pm: Aam Aadmi Party set to win 134 out of the 250 wards in the Delhi civic body.

2.02 pm: Aam Aadmi Party gets majority in Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

1.50 pm: The tally of seats for which results have been declared so far:

• Aam Aadmi Party - 122 
• Bharatiya Janata Party - 97
• Congress -7
• Independent - 3

1.40 pm: Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha says the results show that Delhi has voted for the one who works for development, reports ANI.

“BJP got a befitting reply from the people of Delhi,” he says.

1.26 pm: Aam Aadmi Party just seven seats away from the majority mark of 126 out of 250 wards. The party is currently leading in 14 seats.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has won 96 seats and is ahead on eight seats. Meanwhile, the Congress could fall short of the two-digit mark as it has won seven wards and leading in two of them

1.05 pm: AAP consolidates its lead further as it looks set to go past the majority mark of 126 out of 250 seats. The party has won 112 wards and and in leading in 20 of them.

The BJP has bagged 91 seats and is leading in 14.

1.00 pm: Supporters of Aam Aadmi Party begin celebrations in New Delhi.

12.46 pm: BJP’s Delhi unit President Adesh Gupta says that his party is still hopeful of touching the majority mark, reports ANI.

12.36 pm: The tally of seats for which results have been declared so far:

• Aam Aadmi Party- 104
• Bharatiya Janata Party- 83
• Congress- 5
• Independent-1

12.25 pm: Aam Aadmi Party leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann says Arvind Kejriwal first uprooted the 15-year-long rule of the Congress in New Delhi and now he has done the same to the BJP in MCD, reports ANI.

“It shows people of Delhi don’t like politics of hatred, they vote for schools, hospitals, electricity, cleanliness and infrastructure,” Mann says.

12.07 pm: Aam Aadmi Party maintains a comfortable lead over the Bharatiya Janata Party.

11.48 am: Delhi civic body to have a transgender member for the first time as Aam Aadmi Party candidate Bobi wins Sultanpuri-A ward, reports ANI.

11.44 am: The tally of seats for which results have been declared so far:

• Aam Aadmi Party - 64
• Bharatiya Janata Party - 50
• Congress - 4
• Independent - 1

11.36 am: In terms of vote share, the Aam Aadmi Party has received 42.3% of the votes counted so far, according to data from the Delhi State Election Commission. The Bharatiya Janata Party has bagged 39.2% votes, while the Congress is a distant third with more than 12%.

11.30 am: Aam Aadmi Party extends its lead to a comfortable margin by winning 49 seats, while the party is ahead in 86 wards. The BJP has won 40 wards and is leading in 62 of them.

The Congress has managed to get four seats so far, while an Independent candidate has won the Seelampur ward.

11.23 am: The tally of seats for which results have been declared so far:

• Aam Aadmi Party - 39
• Bharatiya Janata Party - 35
• Congress - 4
• Independent - 1

11.20 am: Independent candidate Shakeela Begum wins Seelampur seat, according to The Indian Express.

11.15 am: AAP consolidates lead further as it looks set to go past the majority mark of 126 out of 250 seats. The party has won 31 wards and and in leading in 101 of them.
The BJP has bagged 32 seats and is leading in 74.

10.48 am: AAP builds on its lead as the party bags nine wards, and is ahead on 122. Meanwhile, the BJP has won 11 seats so far and is leading in 93.

10.21 am: Aam Aadmi Party bags three seats and BJP wins five wards each as first results emerge. The two parties are locked in a close fight in the seats where counting is underway.

9.54 am: Aam Aadmi Party goes past BJP to take lead in 113 seats. The BJP is currently ahead in 106 seats, while the Congress is a distant third leading in 10 seats.

9.42 am: BJP’s Delhi unit Vice President Virendra Sachdeva says the polls will be a tough contest, reports PTI.

“However, we will prove the exit polls wrong and the BJP will come to power in the MCD for a fourth consecutive term,” he says.

9.38 am: Aam Aadmi Party closes in on the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Hindutva party’s lead narrows to only 12 seats.

9.31 am: Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj says he is confident of his outfit’s win even as BJP takes lead in early trends, reports The Indian Express.

“The postal ballots have been counted first...It has votes from people in the government,” Bharadwaj says.

9.27 am: BJP goes past the 100-mark in early trends as it establishes lead in 106 seats. Aam Aadmi Party leading in 78 seats, while Congress is ahead in only 10.

9.12 am: The BJP is ahead on 97 seats, while the AAP has taken the lead in 53 seats, shows data from the Delhi State Election Commission website.

8.44 am: The BJP is leading on 47 seats, while the AAP is ahead in 12 seats, ANI reports. The Congress, meanwhile, is leading on a single seat.

8.25 am: Initial trends show the Aam Aadmi Party leading in four seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party in three, ANI reports.

8 am: The counting of votes for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections begins.

7.30 am: The Aam Aadmi Party is likely to get a clear majority in the high-stakes Municipal Corporation of Delhi election, multiple exit polls predicted on Monday.

According to the India Today-Axis exit poll, the Aam Aadmi Party could win in 149 to 171 wards out of the total of 250, while the incumbent Bharatiya Janata could emerge victorious in 69 to 91 wards.

The pollster has also tipped the Congress to win 19-31 seats.

On the other hand, another exit poll by Times Now predicts the Arvind Kejriwal-led party to win at 146-156 wards.

It further shows the BJP winning 84 to 94 wards and the Congress getting 6 to 10 wards.

7.15 am: A voter turnout of 50.48% was recorded at the polls that took place on Sunday.

The Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party have fielded 250 candidates. The Congress has 247 candidates, while there are 382 Independents contesting. Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party contested on 132 wards, the Nationalist Congress Party on 26 and the Janata Dal (United) on 22.

The BJP is hoping to extend its 15-year reign at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, while the Aam Aadmi Party is hoping to repeat the success that it achieved in the 2020 Assembly polls in the national capital.

The Congress is fighting to regain relevance in Delhi, where it has been seeing a decline since the emergence of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

7 am: The high-stakes election to the 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was held on December 4. The results will be declared today.