AAP, BJP (or Cong?) to control Delhi civic body for next 5 years? Results today

Delhi MCD Elections 2022 Results: The 2022 Delhi municipal election was held on December 4 and either the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party is widely expected to emerge victorious by the end of the day.

The battle for Delhi's municipal corporation - a shoe-in for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, if exit polls are to be believed - will be decided today. Will Arvind Kejriwal and his AAP establish their own 'double-engine' government in the national capital? Or will rivals Bharatiya Janata Party retain control of the civic body to set up another five years of BJP v AAP squabbles? The Congress - focused on its Bharat Jodo Yatra wave - is unlikely to feature prominently in this election, with most exit polls giving the party fewer than 10 wins in a 250-ward public body.

Security personnel guarding the complex containing EVM Machines of MCD Elections 2022 at Gole Market in New Delhi. (Hindustan Times)

The ramifications of this election may extend beyond Delhi and its civic concerns, with the results seen by some as indicating trends ahead of a round of state polls in 2023 - in which the AAP will hope to expand its national footprint - and voting for a new Lok Sabha in 2024.

Read | Delhi MCD polls: Water, not Walkar murder, plays on Chhattarpur voters’ minds

The AAP has already tasted some success outside Delhi - it beat the Congress (admittedly in disarray over internal disputes) in Punjab to form its first government outside the city.

But expectations of a similar shock in Himachal and Gujarat - where a 28 per cent vote share in civic polls in Surat last year were viewed favourably - have been dampened by exit polls.

As a result, the Delhi election could be the AAP's best shot of ending 2022 on a high.

When does counting begin?

Counting of votes for the 2022 Delhi Municipal Corporation election will begin at 8 am, with first trends expected within an hour and final results likely by noon. Officials have set up 42 counting centres - in addition to security measures - to speed up - and secure - the process.

Voter turnout on polling day - December 4 - was lower than in 2017; only 50.48 per cent of eligible adults exercised their franchise compared to nearly 54 per cent five years ago.

The lower turnout, however, is not a pro-incumbency indicator, according to exit polls that flooded news websites and channels after 6.30 pm Monday.

What do exit polls say?

Pollsters gave the AAP little to no joy in the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly election but it was a different story in Delhi, where Kejriwal's party is set for a sweep.

India Today-Axis My India gives the AAP between 149 and 171 seats, News X-Jan Ki Baat gives it 159-175 seats, Times Now-ETG 146-156, and Zee News-BARC 134-146.

The BJP - expected to mount a strong defence of its 2017 win - has fared poorly, pollsters report. India Today gives it 69-91 seats, News X 70-92, Times Now 84-94 and Zee News 82-94.

The Congress has been routed, exit polls said, with only Times Now and Zee News giving it a double-figure score - six to 10 and eight to 14, respectively.