BJP heads for Delhi sweep, AAP in second spot

The BJP Friday appeared set to wrest all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi from the Congress, with the AAP at second position and the Congress at a poor third.

As early trends showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was taking leads in all the seven seats, celebrations broke out in the state party headquarters in 10, Pandit Pant Marg.

Its Delhi chief Harsh Vardhan promptly credited the victory to BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who is all set to become India's next prime minister.

"Modi's vision and our party's strategy has led us to victory. It was Modi's magic that has acted as a catalyst for the party workers and leaders," Vardhan told IANS.

"We are very happy with the results," said a beaming Vardhan, who was leading by more than 135,953 votes in Chandni Chowk over AAP's Ashutosh. Law and Communications Minister Kapil Sibal, who had won twice from Chandni Chowk, was in the third position.

Congress general secretary and the incharge of Delhi said : "We accept the verdict of the people with all humility."

The first results that were declared was of BJP's Udit Raj who won by a margin of 106,802 votes over his nearest rival AAP's Rakhi Birla. While Raj got 629,860, Birla, who was women and child development ministry, got 523,058.

The South Delhi seat was also wrested by BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri, who got 497,980 votes. AAP's Col. Devinder Sehrawat polled 390,980, while Congress Ramesh Kumar got 125,213 votes.

In East Delhi too, BJP's Maheish Giri won. He polled 572,202 votes, while AAP's Rajmohan Gandhi got 381,739 votes. Congress' Sandeep Dikshit, son of former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, was in third position. Dikshit got 203,240 votes.

Congress candidate Ajay Maken was at hird position in New Delhi where BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi was on the victory lap. Aam Aadmi Party's Ashish Khetan was second.

In West Delhi, BJP's Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma was leading over AAP's Jarnail Singh and Congress' Mahabal Mishra.

In Northeast Delhi, BJP's Manoj Tiwari, a Bhojpuri actor and singer, was at the first place with 592,314, AAP's Anand Kumar at the second position. Jai Parkash Agarwal was at the third spot.

In 2009, the Congress had bagged all seven seats. The last time BJP got seven seats in Delhi was in 1999 while in 2004 the BJP got one and the Congress six.

The BJP had bagged 31 of the 70 seats in the assembly elections in December but chose not to form the government. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had got 28 seats, formed the government with outside support of the Congress's eight legislators.

There was a sense of despondence at the AAP office s the party, which was in power in Delhi, though briefly, had expected better results in the capital.

AAP's Chandni Chowk candidate Ashuthosh congratulated the BJP. "We have come out as the second largest party in Delhi."

Added Delhi's former AAP minister Girish Soni: "The election was a learning experience for us. But the people have supported us."