Poll nuggets: Highest margin in Matia Mahal, least in Sangam Vihar

AAP’s Aaley Mohammed Iqbal (58,120 votes) defeated BJP’s Deepti Indora from Matia Mahal seat by 42,724 votes, the highest margin in the elections. The next was Seelampur where AAP's Choudhary Zubair Ahmad (79,009) defeated BJP’s Anil Kumar Sharma by 42,477 votes. The narrowest margin was in Sangam Vihar where BJP's Chandan Kumar Choudhary (54,049) defeated AAP’s Dinesh Mohaniya by 344 votes. The next was Trilokpuri where BJP’s Ravi Kant defeated AAP’s Anjana Parcha by 392 votes. Thirteen seats were decided by a margin of less than 5,000 votes.

Left parties together poll fewer votes than NOTA

Left parties, which came together to contest six seats in the Delhi Assembly polls, polled fewer votes than NOTA in all the segments, failing to make any dent. In the six seats, the Left parties together polled 2,158 votes, while NOTA got 5,627. In Karawal Nagar, one of the areas worst affected by the 2020 Delhi riots, the CPM had fielded well-known RTI activist and lawyer Ashok Agarwal, who got only 457 votes, while 709 votes went to NOTA.

Lone transgender candidate gets 85 votes in Kalkaji  

Rajan Singh, the lone transgender candidate in the Delhi Assembly elections, secured 85 votes from the Kalkaji constituency, while 556 people opted for NOTA, according to Election Commission data. Singh (27) contested on an Aam Janta Party (India) ticket where AAP leader and Chief Minister Atishi won the election, defeating BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri by a margin of 3,521 votes. Kalkaji had a total of 13 candidates.

AIMIM nominees relegate Congress to fourth slot

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, which contested only two seats in the Delhi Assembly elections, managed to make its presence felt, with both of its candidates emerging as second runners-up. Both Shifa Ur Rehman Khan (Okhla seat) and Tahir Hussain (Mustafabad), accused in the 2020 Delhi riots and currently in jail, cut into the BJP and AAP’s vote share and performed better than Congress, which was relegated to fourth place.

‘Those who harm women...’: Maliwal takes on AAP

Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal targeted the Aam Aadmi Party over its poor performance in the elections saying “God punished those who commited crime against women”. Maliwal’s remarks are a veiled reference to the assault case wherein she accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s personal aide Bibhav Kumar of “assaulting her at the then Chief Minister’s residence”.

BJP’s Karnail richest winner, Bajaj youngest

The Delhi results saw BJP’s Karnail Singh emerge as the richest winner with assets worth Rs 259 crore, Umang Bajaj at 31 as the youngest winner, Tilak Ram Gupta as the oldest contestant at 73, and AAP’s Amanatullah Khan the candidate with the highest, 19, criminal cases. Karnail Singh, who won from Shakur Basti, was followed by Manjinder Singh Sirsa from Rajouri Garden with Rs 248 crore and Parvesh Sahib Singh from New Delhi with Rs 115 crore. Among the 699 candidates who contested, the youngest winner was 31-year-old Umang Bajaj of the BJP, who secured victory from the Rajinder Nagar constituency.

BJP allies JD(U), LJP(RV) fail to make the mark

BJP’s alliance partners — Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) — failed to make a mark, losing both seats they contested. The BJP contested 68 out of 70 seats, leaving Burari for JD(U)’s Shailendra Kumar and Deoli for LJP(RV)’s Deepak Tanwar. Both candidates lost to AAP rivals. Kumar was defeated by Sanjeev Jha by a margin of 20,601 votes. Tanwar lost to Prem Chauhan by a margin of 36,680.

Why destroying anti-BJP forces: TMC to Cong

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday wondered if the Congress really wanted the BJP to be defeated or it was more interested in destroying anti-BJP forces in various states. “In Delhi, the BJP got 45.8 per cent of the votes, AAP got 43.5 per cent. The difference is only 2.3 per cent. On the other hand, the Congress got 6.36 per cent of the votes. If Congress had given up its ego and given unconditional support to AAP, the anti-BJP vote would have been 50 per cent, which would have been enough to keep BJP out of power. In this way, Congress is giving BJP an advantage by cutting anti-BJP votes in various states.

Atishi among five women emerge victorious

Five women candidates, including outgoing CM Atishi won in the Delhi Assembly polls this time, down from eight in the 2020 elections. Atishi is the only woman candidate of AAP who won this time. The BJP's four women candidates -- Rekha Gupta (Shalimar Bagh), Poonam Sharma (Wazirpur), Neelam Pahelwan (Najafgarh), and Shikha Roy (Greater Kailash) -- have emerged victorious. Of the total 699 candidates in the fray this time, 96 were women.