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As the counting of votes for the Delhi Assembly elections began at 8 am on Saturday, Abhishek Dutt, Congress candidate from Kasturba Nagar, exuded confidence in his victory.
"The truth and our hard work will win. I am confident that people will give me a chance to serve them again," Dutt told ANI. In the Kasturba Nagar constituency, Dutt is pitted against Ramesh Pahelwan of the AAP and Neeraj Basoya of the BJP. The Delhi Assembly elections held on February 5 saw a voter turnout of 60.42 per cent. The counting of votes started under tight security arrangements. Along with Delhi, the counting for by-elections in Uttar Pradesh's Milkipur seat and Tamil Nadu's Erode seat is also underway. The Congress, which was in power in Delhi for 15 consecutive years, is looking to revive its fortunes after drawing a blank in the previous two elections in 2020 and 2015. Congress candidate from New Delhi constituency Sandeep Dikshit said on Saturday that he has no idea about any post-poll alliance of his party with Aam Aadmi Party as it is the decision of the high command. Speaking to ANI Dikshit said, "I have no idea about the alliance. It is the decision of the high command. Let the counting of the votes happen." Most exit polls released on Wednesday gave the BJP an edge over the AAP. However, AAP leaders said that the exit polls have historically underestimated the party's performance. They expressed confidence in returning to power. The BJP's campaign, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, targeted the AAP over alleged toxicity in the Yamuna River and the renovation of Arvind Kejriwal's residence as Chief Minister. The PM also used the terms "Aapda" and "Sheesh Mahal" to slam Kejriwal. Meanwhile, the AAP highlighted its "performance" in the education sector during its eleven-year tenure. Kejriwal claimed that the BJP would "stop the free education" if it came to power. Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also held rallies and targeted Kejriwal and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia for their alleged role in the Delhi excise policy "scam" case. Key constituencies include New Delhi, where AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is contesting against Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit and BJP's Parvesh Verma. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is facing BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress candidate Alka Lamba. The campaign saw sharp exchanges between leaders of the three parties. AAP has dominated the last two assembly elections in Delhi, but the BJP is looking to break the trend and reclaim power in the National Capital after a gap of more than two decades. (ANI)
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