India election: Delhi vote counting begins

COUNTING of votes has begun in the Delhi state assembly elections which are seen as a popularity test for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to exit polls, the anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by former tax inspector Arvind Kejriwal is expected to win.

Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded former policewoman Kiran Bedi as its pick for chief minister.

On Saturday, 67% of the over 13 million eligible voters cast their ballots.

A BBC correspondent in Delhi says if the final results are similar to the exit poll predictions, it could be a first setback for Mr Modi.

He has enjoyed huge popularity since taking office last year, winning a string of local elections and wooing international investors and world leaders.

The BJP’s campaign was essentially anti-AAP and the party leaders often criticised Mr Kejriwal at their rallies and road shows.

Mr Kerjiwal conducted an energetic campaign which was especially popular with working class and underprivileged voters making up 60% of Delhi’s population, our correspondent adds.

Hours before counting, senior BJP leaders sounded optimistic, predicting favourable official results on Tuesday.

“The results will defy the exit poll predictions as BJP will emerge victorious and will definitely form the next government,” senior BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri said.

“(But) if BJP does lose the elections, we cannot say Narendra Modi’s popularity has dwindled or the Modi wave is over,” he added.

The Congress party, which ran the Indian capital for 15 years until 2013, is predicted to come a distant third.

Delhi has been without a government since Mr Kejriwal, the former chief minister, resigned last February, angered that his anti-corruption bill was blocked.

Since then the state has been governed directly by the federal authorities.Ms Bedi and Mr Kejriwal worked together during the anti-corruption campaign led by social activist Anna Hazare, but the two have since developed an intense rivalry.

During weeks of hectic campaigning in Delhi, both candidates promised to bring in good governance, end corruption and make Delhi safe for women.

In the previous Delhi election held in December 2013, the BJP won the most seats but fell short of a majority, leaving the AAP – which came second – to form a coalition with the Congress party.

But Mr Kejriwal resigned on 14 February, after 49 days in office, when opposition politicians blocked a bill that would have created an independent body with the power to investigate politicians and civil servants suspected of corruption.