Exit polls notwithstanding, BJP leaders hope for victory

Despite exit polls predicting a victory for the AAP, BJP leaders Sunday expressed hope that the party will win the Delhi assembly election as they had done "positive work" at the grassroots.

A day after Saturday's polling for the 70-member assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party held a review meeting to take feedback from party candidates in all the constituencies.

Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman Sunday visited the party's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi at her residence and told reporters that they were hopeful of winning the assembly polls.

"We are waiting for the results. We are hopeful that we will win," Sitharaman said.

A majority of exit polls predicted that Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party will return to power in Delhi, relegating the BJP to the second spot and decimating the Congress. The results will be declared Feb 10.

According to exit poll figures, while the AAP was likely to get anywhere between 31 and a staggering 54 seats, the BJP could bag 17 to 35 seats.

It was forecast that the Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years till December 2013, would be routed, winning no seat or at best four seats.

Asked about Bedi's statement following the exit poll figures that she would take the blame if the BJP lost in Delhi, Sitharaman said: "She has given her personal view but we are hopeful the result will go in our favour."

An aide of Bedi said she was in no mood to unwind and was preparing for a series of meetings with party leaders.

"She got up in the morning and after offering prayers met Sitharaman-ji. She will be getting no time to relax as there is another meeting in the evening and she is preparing for that," the aide said.

"Although, she has a bad throat, she is positive and energetic and is in no mood to relax," the aide added.

Delhi BJP's media convenor Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the party was confident of winning the election.

"The BJP is confident of winning the polls. There is no panic in our camp. We are very relaxed. There is no reason that we should lose confidence because we know the positive work we have done at the ground level," Kapoor told IANS.

BJP Lok Sabha member Ramesh Bidhuri said exit polls were not always accurate.

"We are confident that we will win in Delhi. It may not be a thumping victory but we will form the next government. The BJP will get between 36 and 39 seats," he said.

Party leaders said cadres had worked hard at the grassroots level and the results will be positive.