BJP sticks to claim of being in the big race

The Delhi BJP on Sunday reviewed its Assembly poll performance and repeated its claim that it would form a government. The party dismissed exit polls that have predicted a victory for the AAP.

The counting of the votes cast on Saturday would take place on Tuesday.

After a review meeting at the Delhi unit office which was also attended by chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi, the party claimed its workers at the grassroots level had worked hard so it could look forward to a victory.

Sources, however, said national BJP chief Amit Shah probably failed to read the city’s cosmopolitan character correctly and alienated the Delhi unit cadre by relying more on workers brought in from other states.

During the Sunday’s meeting, the BJP took feedback from party candidates from all constituencies about their performance.

At the BJP meeting in Delhi unit office those present included Delhi BJP in-charge Prabhat Jha and state party chief Satish Upadhyay.

“We are confident of winning the election and forming a government under Bed’'s leadership,” Upadhyay said.

Earlier, Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Bedi at her residence. “We are hopeful that we will win,” Sitharaman told reporters.

The electorate in Delhi set a new record turnout of 67.14 per cent on Saturday in an intensely contested electoral battle between the AAP and the BJP. The fate of 673 candidates will be known on Tuesday when the results will be declared.