New Delhi, February 5: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has dismissed the results of the exit polls conducted for the Delhi Assembly elections, asserting that they have historically underestimated the party’s performance. In contrast, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) viewed the predictions as a reflection of the public's desire for change.
As voting for the 70-member Delhi Assembly concluded at 6 pm on Wednesday, most exit polls indicated a lead for the BJP over the ruling AAP.
AAP's national spokesperson, Reena Gupta, told PTI that exit polls have consistently undervalued the party's actual performance. "If you look at past exit polls—whether from 2013, 2015, or 2020—the AAP was always shown with fewer seats than it actually won," Gupta explained. She added that, based on their assessment, the party had received significant support from Delhi voters and was confident of a "historic" victory, which would see Arvind Kejriwal continuing as Chief Minister for a fourth term.
The official election results are expected to be announced on Saturday.
Exit polls, which are based on voter interviews conducted after they leave polling stations, can vary significantly from the final election results.
The Matrize exit poll suggested the BJP-led NDA could secure between 35 to 40 seats, while the AAP was projected to win between 32 and 37 seats. Congress was expected to get only one seat or none at all.
Meanwhile, the People's Pulse exit poll projected that the NDA would win between 51 to 60 seats, with the AAP securing just 10 to 19 seats. It also claimed Congress would not gain any seats.
The People's Insight exit poll offered similar predictions, estimating the NDA would win 40 to 44 seats, AAP 25 to 29, and Congress zero to one.
The P-Marq exit poll suggested the BJP and its allies would win 39 to 49 seats, while AAP would secure 21 to 31 seats. Congress was again forecasted to win zero to one seat.
Finally, the JVC exit poll predicted 39 to 45 seats for the BJP-led NDA, 22 to 31 seats for the AAP, and zero to two for Congress.
Virendra Sachdeva, president of the Delhi BJP, expressed respect for the exit poll results. He believed that the people of Delhi had already made up their minds and were seeking change. "Delhiites want a corruption-free government," Sachdeva stated, highlighting the BJP's campaign against corruption in the city.
Confident that the AAP would lose power, he predicted that the BJP would form the next government in Delhi after more than 25 years.
