BJP to be largest party in Delhi polls: ABP News poll

Among leaders, 22% of the respondents claimed Sheila Dikshit as their first choice. She was behind Vijay Goel and Arvind Kejriwal

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to emerge as the single largest party in the coming Delhi Assembly elections, said a survey conducted by ABP News-Nielsen. However, the survey predicts the likelihood of a hung House in the absence of a clear mandate for the BJP.

The survey projects 32 seats for the BJP in the 70-member Assembly, followed by the Congress with 27 seats, while the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is projected to win eight seats. Among the leaders, 26 per cent of the respondents claimed BJP’s Vijay Goel as their first choice for the chief minister’s post, followed by Arvind Kejriwal (24 per cent) and Sheila Dikshit (22 per cent).

The survey said increased corruption, rising inflation and disconnect with the youth were the reasons for voters to move away from the Congress. Voters between the age of 18 and 23 expressed the highest dissatisfaction with the Congress government, with 42 per cent claiming life had become worse for them.

The Delhi government has been especially criticised for its poor handling of issues such as welfare of women, law and order, employment generation and poverty reduction. However, the Congress loss does not meant BJP’s gain. The survey says that in the absence of the AAP, the BJP would have gained another 15 per cent of the vote share.

While the survey said the BJP was being backed by its loyal voters, the party could end up losing another 28% of the vote share to AAP, if it is unable to declare a credible leader soon.