New Delhi: As vote counting for the Delhi Assembly elections began at 8 am on Saturday, Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit acknowledged the early trends, indicating a likely Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) victory. He said, “As of now, it seems that they (BJP) will form the government.” 

Dikshit’s statement reflected the party’s assessment of the election results, suggesting that the voters had chosen a different path despite the party’s efforts in the campaign. Dikshit further stated, “We raised the issues, but I think people thought that we are not going to form the government—we accept the decision of the people.”

In the New Delhi constituency, Dikshit is up against AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and BJP's Parvesh Verma in the high-stakes contest. The Delhi Assembly elections held on February 5 saw a voter turnout of 60.42 per cent. The counting of votes started under tight security arrangements.

Along with Delhi, the counting for by-elections in Uttar Pradesh's Milkipur seat and Tamil Nadu's Erode seat is also underway.

The Congress, which was in power in Delhi for 15 consecutive years, is looking to revive its fortunes after drawing a blank in the previous two elections in 2020 and 2015.