Setting the stage for a pulsating Wednesday when votes will be counted to decide the winners of the municipal elections, exit polls gave the BJP a clean sweep in all three municipal corporations. It also predicted a neck-and-neck fight between the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

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Two exit polls predicted a comfortable majority for the BJP, with both estimating that it could get as many as 210 seats of the 270 wards.

The polls were carried out at 270 wards out of the 272, as voting on two seats — Maujpur in East MCD and Sarai Pipal Thala in North MCD — could not be held due to the death of a candidate in both wards. Bypolls for these two seats will be held in May, State Election Commission (SEC) officials said.

The exit polls clearly stated that AAP may be staring at a rout on its home turf, barely two years into its rise to power when it bagged a staggering 67 out of the 70 Assembly seats, while the Congress’ attempt to regain ground may fail badly. After the drubbing in Goa and Punjab, the civic elections are doubly crucial for AAP.

Reacting to the exit polls, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said: “After seeing exit polls, AAP blames EVM.

Can someone please tell Kejriwalji that exit polls are not based on EVMs?” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also said: “After seeing the exit poll results, AAP will buy excuses through EVMs.”

Congress spokesperson Sharmishta Mukherjee has said that if these numbers are right, they will definitely be worried. The outcome of the election is being seen to have a much wider impact on national politics.

According to an India Today-Axis exit poll, the BJP may bag anything between 202 and 220 seats, while AAP and the Congress will score something around 23 to 35 and 19 to 31, respectively. The C-Voter-ABP exit poll claimed the BJP to sweep Delhi with 218 seats, limiting AAP and the Congress to 24 and 22 seats. respectively.

The exit polls, however, did not give a single vote to the newbie Swaraj India and other parties.